A Different Tale
by alyssacousland
Summary: What if there are three surviving Couslands? Different pairings along the way. Rated M for obvious reasons.
1. Prologue

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Aedan Cousland awoke from his deep sleep. His mabari hound, Prince, was growling at the closed door of his room.

Before he had had a chance to open the chest near his bed and retrieve his armor, the door was flung open and a servant called out to him.

"My lord, the castle is under attack-"

He looked up, disbelief on his face as he watched an arrow pierce the man's chest, cutting off his warning as he slid to the ground.

He quickly donned his silverite armor and readied his weapon and shield as Prince flung himself on a soldier who was moving to reach him. The mabari's powerful momentum threw the man to the floor, and he stepped in and finished him off. He paused briefly to adjust his shield on his left arm and charged at a second man-an archer-just outside the door.

There were two other soldiers who were banging at his parents' quarters door, and he continued to fight the man before him until he, too, lay dead on his feet. His gaze turned to the men who had not noticed him yet. He started when he recognized the crest on their shields.

_Holy Andraste! These are Howe's men! What is going on here?_

He barely had time to register anything else, as the men finally noticed him standing in a defensive pose looking at them, and they attacked.

Anger fueled his actions as he fought, and before he knew it, the men lay dead at his feet. The door to his parents' quarters quickly opened and his mother, dressed in leather armor, ran into the hallway, distraught and disheveled.

"Aedan! What is happening? I heard noises and I barred the door from the inside."

She gazed down at the dead men on his feet, and a hand flew to her mouth as realization kicked in.

"These are Howe's men! What? I cannot believe this!" She turned to her middle son, her shock quickly dissolving into worry as she saw him covered in blood. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, and rushed to give her a hug. Then, he walked to the men and searched the bodies.

"Howe has betrayed father, mother. There is no other explanation for this."

"Why would he do such a thing?" She said, her voice trembling with fury.

"I don't know, but I'll kill him for this." Aedan answered, his hazel eyes flashing momentarily. "We should check on Oren and Oriana mother," he said as he swept by her to retrieve the Cousland family bow and a quiver of arrows from a chest in her sitting room, which he handed out to her.

"Maker's mercy! You don't think-" The Teyrna faltered for a moment, her face growing pale, her green eyes startled as she looked at him.

"Mother, you can stay here, I'll find out what is going on..." Aedan began, trying to protect her from whatever they would find along their way, but the Teyrna would not have that.

"No. We must fight our way to your father. I'm not some Orlesian flower, Aedan. I can fight, and will assist you. Come. Let us see if we can save Oren and Oriana, before it's too late."

Aedan fell a surge of pride for his mother and turned, leading the way to a door across from the now open door of his room. When he opened it, a sore sight met his eyes. His nephew and sister-in-law lay in a pool of blood before them.

"No! These people are monsters! To slay an innocent child...oh...poor Fergus! " Teyrna Eleanor exclaimed, as she wiped the tears from her face.

"We must check on Azure, mother," Aedan grimaced as he stood up, now running out of the room into another area of the family quarters, where two more soldiers and two archers greeted him. The Teyrna started to shoot her arrows immediately and both Prince and he dispatched the melee soldiers first before turning on the archers.

_That was a mistake. Next time, focus on the archers, first. The warriors will follow me anyway, wanting to cut me down. _

The door to his younger sister's bedroom was wide open. Fear clutched his heart as he ran inside.

Azure was gone.

...

The young girl was in her night clothes and unconscious. She was lying on her side, and her hands had been tied behind her back. The soldier who was guarding her looked at her, lust plainly etched across his features. He wet his lips unconsciously and took off his leather gauntlets quietly.

His hand reached out, and finally touched the soft flushed cheek, and the desire in him grew as his hand moved down to cup a breast. The girl stirred and finally opened her eyes.

Bright green eyes regarded the ugly bearded face that was bearing down on her with disdain and disgust.

She squirmed, and wriggled, but the soldiers had tied up her hands and arms tightly. The man sneered at her, and he roughly took her in his arms and bunched her nightgown up, his hands roughly massaging her breasts.

She waited until he had pulled his leather armor off, and grimaced as he undid the ties of his breeches, working at the ropes that tied her hands. She felt them come loose, and gritted her teeth as the covered wagon she was in lurched forward slightly, finding a bump in the road. It did not slow down, however.

The man was busy sucking her breasts now, and his hands were hurting her, but she determinedly continued flexing her wrists, feeling the ropes slide a little. She was thankful that the ropes had cut her wrists, because her blood was seeping into the rope, softening it and causing the knots to loosen.

The man was taking his time, knowing full well that the wagon would not stop and they would not be interrupted before he had a chance to ravish this girl like he wanted to. He had moved on to her other breast and she closed her eyes as she continued to wrestle against the ropes, concentrating with all the strength she could muster, feeling nauseated by the man's advances nevertheless.

His hands were moving roughly to her navel now, and she felt fear surging in her, but she was stubborn. She pushed the fear away and the ropes suddenly started to slip off one hand. She smiled.

The man saw her smile and sneered.

"You bitch, you like that, don't you. Well, soon, my pet, soon, you will be screaming for more."

She waited for his head to disappear between her thighs. Her hands were free now, but the rope was still on her left hand. She smiled again and brought her legs up in a swift movement, knocking the man's head away from her. The man's eyes opened wide, but before he had a chance to recover, she was on top of him, straddling him.

Bringing her hands down, she wound the rope around his neck and pulled. Hard.

The man started to struggle, but she quickly pressed her knee hard on his groin and he cried out briefly. The girl then continued to pull at the ropes, strangling the man as he tried to fight her off him.

The wagon hit another bump in the road, and she was thrown back. The man shook his head, wheezing, as he felt the air course through his lungs again.

The girl cursed as her eyes darted around the wagon, and she saw something glint in the half-darkness.

Rushing towards the man, she took one of his daggers and before he had had a chance to fully recover, stabbed him squarely in the chest.

His eyes widened in shock as he died.

The girl got off him and sat as far away as she could. Glancing at his discarded leather breastplate, she tore off her nightgown and put it on quickly. Then she struggled with his breeches and put them on. The man had been short and they fit her, though the waistband was a little too loose. She tightened the strings the best that she could and stood up, swaying a little.

Satisfied that the breeches would not fall, she bent over and took the man's belts and sheathed his daggers, pausing to see what he had in his pockets.

She found a couple of health poultices, two small vials of deathroot poison, a lockpick kit and thirty silvers.

She smiled. That would do.

Her eyes glanced around the wagon and she found a chest in one of the corners.

It was locked.

She used the lockpick kit and opened it. Looking inside, she found three sovereigns which she quickly pocketed and a bunch of parchments. She pocketed those too, thinking that they might shed some information on why she was here and what was happening.

She frowned. Or...who she was.

She faltered but a moment, when she suddenly realized she could not remember her name.

She felt the wagon start slowing down and made her move. Opening the flap she saw she was in on a path of some sort which cut through a dense forest.

Taking a deep breath she flung herself out of the wagon before it came to a complete stop.

She started to run through the forest. She heard noises behind her and continued running.

She knew that the people who had her in that wagon would be looking for her so she pushed everything else away and focused on running.

She ran, even when breathing started to get difficult.

She ran, even when she felt her legs ache.

She ran and ran for hours until she felt that she would die from running, because she could no longer breathe, it was too difficult to breathe.

Fighting off exhaustion, she stopped, trying to catch her breath as she wheezed, holding on to a tree trunk before her.

She tensed as she heard the howling of wolves in the distance. She heard them getting closer, so she straightened up. Taking a deep breath, she started running again.

She was too slow.

The wolves were on top of her before she knew it, and she was flung to the ground as they attacked. They tore into her legs and back and she cried out, then turned to fight back, her daggers whipping out in front of her. She managed to kill two but there were at least twenty more.

She shut her eyes, fearing the worse, all the fight gone from her, when suddenly the wolves yelped and she looked up to see a man dressed in robes holding out a staff.

She tried to sit up, but had lost too much blood.

The last thing she saw was the man's face bending over her.

Then, everything went dark.


	2. Becoming

Chapter 2 - Becoming

Aedan Cousland opened his eyes and saw Duncan and Alistair's faces looming up before him.

He struggled to scramble to his feet but his head throbbed painfully and his hand automatically went to the back of his head and rubbed it.

Alistair helped him up, relieved to see that he had survived the Joining. He liked Aedan far better than the other two recruits. Then, he remembered that the others were both dead and grimaced.

"Welcome, Aedan. You are now a Grey Warden. How do you feel?" Duncan said warmly.

He stood shakily on his feet for a few moments, the throbbing in his head slowly diminishing.

"I'll be fine," he said between clenched teeth.

"Did you have any dreams?" Alistair asked. "I had terrible dreams when I took my Joining."

"Such things are to be expected," Duncan said calmly. "There are other things that you must know about what it means to become a Grey Warden, but they will be explained to you in the months to come."

"Before I forget, I have something for you. It's a pendant as a reminder of what you went through and of those who didn't make it," Alistair said quietly, handing out a necklace to Aedan, who took it wordlessly.

The pendant consisted of a silver medallion and in the middle he could make out a small glass vial with some blood in it. He put it around his neck .

"Tomorrow morning we have a meeting with the king. He has requested both of you to be at the meeting. Alistair, please show Aedan to our camp and make sure he eats and rests. I must go and speak to the rest of the wardens. I will see you both tomorrow morning." Duncan gave a nod and smile to both and walked away.

Alistair led him to the warden camp, where his tent and a tent for Aedan had been put up. The rest of the wardens were now surrounding Duncan who spoke quietly to them at the far end of the camp.

Alistair went to the pot next to the fire and quickly served two bowls of hot stew for Aedan and himself. They both sat and ate quietly.

When they had finished, Alistair turned to Aedan.

"Look, if you want to talk, I'm right here. I know you've been through a lot. If I can help in any way..."

Aedan smiled. He liked Alistair and knew that he was only trying to make him feel better. Duncan had probably told him about their escape from the castle.

"Well, I owe Duncan a great deal. He saved me from certain death. I'm the son of the Teyrn of Highever. Rendon Howe, a close friend of my father's, betrayed us. His soldiers attacked under the cover of night, when my brother Fergus had already left to join the king's forces here, taking almost all our soldiers with him. My nephew and his mother, Fergus's wife, were murdered. My nephew Oren was five years old." He paused, catching his breath. "Everyone I loved was murdered, actually. My mother stayed behind ignoring my protests, to give Duncan and me time to escape. My father was badly wounded, and she would not leave him. I went to look for my little sister, Azure, but her bedroom was empty. I assume that by now, she must be in Denerim, held captive by Howe for some purpose."

Alistair's eyes opened wide with shock as he finished the tale. He didn't understand why Aedan was not showing the slightest bit of grief. He knew that if this happened to him, he'd probably be crying by now, at the very least.

Aedan turned to Alistair, his eyes sad.

"I won't allow myself to cry. If I break down, then I won't be able to stand strong and fight. I hope that one day I get to see Howe face to face. I'll kill him for what he has done."

"I'm so sorry Aedan." Alistair said. "I wish I could do something for you."

"Well, you can get me another bowl of stew for starters," Aedan grinned. "Maker's blood! I'm so hungry I could eat a genlock right now!"

"Ah! That's just the famous Grey Warden appetite," Alistair smiled back, one of his eyebrows shooting up. "I'll tell you some of our secrets while we eat. It's _fun_ being a Grey Warden," he finished sarcastically and moved to the pot again to get more stew for Aedan and himself.

"Great," he answered dryly. "What other secrets are there? Am I to become some kind of dark knight, fighting against the forces of evil while women swoon at my feet now?" He joked, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline.

Alistair broke into a laugh.

"Something like that and even better," he quipped back and sat down again, handing Aedan his second bowl of stew.

...

When Azure finally woke up, she found the face of her rescuer leaning down at her, too close for comfort.

The image of the man who had tried to force himself on her came into focus and she quickly rammed her knee into the man's groin, watching with satisfaction as he bent down in pain.

"Owww! What did you do that for? I was just checking to see if you were alright and needed more healing!" His face was red and he sat on the ground, unable to speak for a few moments.

She saw that he clearly was a mage, and relaxed a bit, but still kept a wary gaze on him, just in case.

He had dark hair and bluish purple robes on. He didn't seem to be particularly dangerous, so she breathed out a sigh of relief and turned her gaze into the fire before her.

"Are you going to attack me again? I just want to examine you and see if your wounds have healed properly. I promise I won't hurt you or anything," he said when he was finally able to speak.

She gave him a brief nod and he approached carefully, holding out his hands, palms down as he scanned her using magic. She could see a soft blue glow emanating from his hands and was fascinated.

He smiled when he saw her the look of awe in her bright green eyes and finished examining her, sitting next to her on a log.

"My name is Jowan. You had some nasty bites but I healed them all, so you should be fine."

She gave him a small smile.

The girl before him was wearing leather armor that was clearly a size too big and he was curious about who she was and what she was doing out here all alone. A voice at the back of his head warned him that he should continue fleeing and tell the girl to head east to Lothering, before she slowed him down or was captured with him.

"Listen. I'm going to come clean with you. I'm a circle mage, and have escaped from the Tower. They are going to catch up with me."

"They?" She asked in a clear, even voice.

"The Templars. Mages aren't supposed to leave the tower. If they find me they'll take me away to..." he stopped himself and decided that was not relevant. He sighed and tried something else. "Look, I'm sorry you are alone but we have to part ways. If they catch you with me, there is no telling what they would do. I'm sorry," he added again miserably.

She nodded at him, understanding what he meant. "It's all right. I can look after myself," she stuck out her jaw defiantly and her eyes flashed.

He smiled at the girl and saw that she was very young, which only made him feel guiltier. But he had made up his mind.

"There is a town not far from here. Lothering. If you head east towards the Imperial Highway, you'll reach it in a few hours."

She nodded again, and fixed her gaze on the fire.

"What's your name?" He asked curiously.

The girl jerked her head up and regarded him a strange expression in her eyes. He frowned as he tried to read it.

After a while, when he had given up hope of her ever answering, she spoke.

"My name doesn't matter. You saved my life back there. Thank you."

She smiled and stood up, taking her daggers and sheathed them on her back, making a move to leave.

"Be careful, and stick to the highway," he advised.

"I'll do that, Jowan. I hope the Templars don't catch you," she smiled again and walked away.

Jowan extinguished the fire, using magic, and head off in the opposite direction. As he walked on, he hoped that the girl would be safe, and then focused on getting as far north as he could.

He prayed silently to the Maker as he walked, trying to put as much distance as he could between the Templars that he knew were on his trail and himself.

...

Morrigan bent over the young Grey Warden as she dressed his wounds. Her mother had done a good job at healing him, the wounds were already tightly shut, and beginning to scar. Her hands travelled nimbly up his muscular chest, which she found herself admiring. She shook herself and her eyes narrowed.

The young man stirred, and opened his eyes. His hazel eyes looked puzzled as he stared up into her yellow ones.

She straightened up and gave him a small smile.

"Ah! You finally wake. Mother shall be pleased!"

The young man's stare turned blank. She could tell that he was having difficulty remembering so she helped.

"You and your friend were attacked by darkspawn at the top of the Tower of Ishal. How does your memory fare?"

"I only remember being ambushed by a great number of darkspawn, and then nothing else," he struggled to sit up, and staring down at himself and his bandages, found that he was quite naked.

He blinked and tried to cover himself, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

The witch laughed and he turned his gaze up to her, and her ragtag top and knew that any attempt to cover himself would be foolish, as he spotted her cleavage and his eyes roamed over the rest of her soft flesh, because he knew that his erection would be huge by now. She was giving him an appraising look and his blush deepened.

"My name is Morrigan, if you don't recall, and my mother rescued you and your friend from the top of the tower. The man you lit your beacon for, quit the field and abandoned all to the mercy of the darkspawn. Everyone was massacred and the battle was lost."

He took in the information, and finally succeeded in sitting up, forgetting to cover himself at the shock of hearing her words.

"My friend? You mean Alistair?" He asked after a while.

"The dim-witted suspicious looking one, yes. He is out by the fire. Mother asked to see you once you had awoken. I suggest you put on your armor and do that," she said, amusement lading her voice as she stared boldly at his body.

His eyes twinkled, and she was taken aback.

"Why exactly does your mother want to see me?"

"I do not know. She rarely tells me her plans."

"How did she save us?" He asked while he busied himself, putting on his armor.

"She turned into a giant bird and plucked you both from the top of the tower, of course," Morrigan said in an amused tone.

He paused for a moment, glancing quickly at her to see if she was joking. He couldn't read her expression so he shrugged and hung his family sword and shield behind his back.

"All right then, I'll go see your mother now," he stepped closer to her, and stood, staring down into her eyes.

Morrigan felt herself growing hot and lowered her eyes for a moment.

Aedan grinned. Satisfied with her reaction, he stepped outside the hut.

...

Azure spied some men in the distance. Since she was still very wary of the opposite sex for now, she decided to avoid them if she could. She turned and spotted a huge tree and its branches leaning heavily on the massive bridge-like highway and smiled to herself.

Making sure that everything was tightly secure, she hoisted herself on the thick branch of the tree, and started to climb down.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she set off to the town of Lothering, patting herself on the back for eluding the men she had seen on the road.


	3. Catch Me If You Can

**Hi everyone! *waves***

**I want to apologize profusely. I was so focused on posting the first two chapters of this fic, that I totally forgot to write my disclaimer. So here it is:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, Bioware owns everything. *bows to Bioware***

**Also to tell you that I still plan on writing another fic on a rebellious and very bitter Dalish elf, but this idea captured me and I thought I'd give this a try. **

**Thanks to the kind people who have already favored this fic, and hopefully I will see some of your comments on this, so please review if you like this, yes? *puppy dog eyes* **

Chapter 3 - Catch Me If You Can

Azure stopped, glancing briefly at the only bridge of the town and then turned to look towards the Chantry.

She had never before seen a Chantry, but somewhere in the dark recess of her mind knew what the building was, its rose-colored windows gleaming under the sun. Nearby, she could make out a small group of people, one of them clearly a merchant, judging by the wares he displayed on a table.

She spotted the leather armor before she arrived, and smiled. She hoped to gain the merchant's attention but frowned when she heard him deep in discussion with a lady dressed in a long pinkish dress.

She stepped in front of them, her eyes darting from one to the other. The man addressed the lady as 'sister', so she guessed it was a Chantry sister he was talking to.

She waited for them to finish discussing, and got the gist of what was wrong. The man was red in the face and sputtering by the time he finally noticed her standing there.

Azure was bored.

The man looked her up and down while he huffed, still visibly upset by the chantry sister.

"What do you want?" He asked her bluntly.

She smiled up to him and the man blinked.

"You're a merchant, am I right?"

The sister interrupted. "He is charging outrageous prices to these poor people," she began in a self-righteous tone.

Azure rolled her eyes. She believed in the Maker but the sister before her rubbed her the wrong way. She couldn't place her finger on it, she just felt annoyed at her. Besides, she had just finished listening to her ranting and knew what was happening between them.

The sister went on and on until she found herself yawning.

The sister shut up and glared at her. She grinned.

"So what's going on here?" She asked the merchant, ignoring the sister completely.

"I'm not here to learn about the town's misfortune, I just want to sell my wares. In peace," he added, glaring at the sister.

The sister ruffled her feathers as she started the discussion again.

The girl could not bear it. She cleared her voice and ordered them both to shut up.

Then she pointed at the nice leather armor that was in front of her. "How much do you want for that?"

"Thirty silvers," the man answered.

"The leather is worn. I'll give you twenty," she shrugged.

"Twenty-five," the man shot back.

"Deal," she said and took the leather armor. It looked like it would fit her like a second skin. She gazed upon the wares a little longer and saw he was selling some vials. She recognized deathroot too, among other things. Her stomach growled.

"I'll come back later, when you two have sorted out your...differences," she said and turned to walk away.

"You wouldn't happen to be making a profit, would you?" The man called out to her and she stopped, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

She spun around and walked back to the man. "What do you have in mind?" She asked, giving him a brilliant smile.

"Well, we heard that there are some poisonous spiders, to the far east of the village. If you could kill some and bring me the toxic extract in these vials here, I'll chip in and give you whatever you want at a huge discount, and pay you handsomely for each of the vials," he said in his best business-like voice.

She pondered for a moment. This town was pretty fucked up. How terrible must it be to kill some spiders? Couldn't the man do it himself? The job sounded so easy and the reward...well, she really couldn't say no to an offer like this, now could she?

She smiled again and nodded, taking the vials.

"I want to get a bite to eat first. Do you know if there is an inn of some sort around here where I could-"

The man cut her off, and pointed to the bridge.

"Crossing the bridge, on your right. Dane's Refuge."

"Thanks," she answered as the damn sister rounded up on the man once again.

...

Aedan had just finished talking to a man standing around the entrance to Lothering. His armor was covered in blood due to the fact that they had just finished killing a group of bandits on the highway and he was annoyed, to put it lightly. He looked overbearing but the man was rude to him in spite of his appearance.

He snarled at the man and the man decided that he would tell this young man whatever he wanted.

When Aedan had gotten the all the information he could, he turned to the dismal town before him and walked into the next area, Alistair, Morrigan and Prince following closely.

"Ah, look how they moan and wail and gnash their teeth. 'Tis sad to watch how hopelessly they scurry about," Morrigan's sarcastic voice floated up to him.

He turned to her, and she raised an eyebrow up at him defiantly.

He then did more than turn, he walked straight up to her, and looked down into her eyes. The witch gazed back coolly.

"If I get another peep from you, I might not be able to control myself," he whispered, but Alistair heard and he rolled his eyes.

Morrigan let out something that sounded like a giggle.

"Oh? And what exactly would you do, I wonder?" She teased.

"This," he said and took her in his arms, bending down to kiss her fully on the lips.

Alistair stared dumbly at the scene, and giving himself a shake, turned away, flushing furiously and feeling completely revolted at the same time.

Aedan broke away from the kiss, leaving Morrigan standing there, disbelief written all over her face, and then turned away , walking towards the bridge where a little boy was crying out for his mother.

"Oren?" He asked, then shook his head when he gave the boy a closer look. The boy looked like his dead nephew but his hair was a bright red and he seemed a bit older too.

_I have to get a grip on myself. Soon I'll be seeing the rest of my family wandering around if I don't._

"Have you seen my mother?" The little boy asked him in a pleading tone. "Some mean men with swords came, and mother told me to run ahead to the village and not look back and to wait for her here. But I've been waiting and waiting for so long, and I still can't find her..."

He couldn't help but feel sad at the boy's plight. He knew that his mother was never coming back to him and pressing a silver into the child's palm, told him to go get something to eat.

"A whole silver? Thank you! You're a real nice man. I'll go now," the boy smiled and ran off.

Aedan smiled to himself as he straightened up. He looked straight ahead and spotted a run-down house with a sign that said 'Dane's Refuge' on it and brightened. The prospect of food and some ale clearly appealed to him and he made his way down the bridge directly to the inn.

...

The girl had just finished putting on her leather armor, which fit her snugly. She smiled and pushed a few strands of her reddish brown hair from her eyes.

Turning to the cook she thanked her for the food and ale, and the chance to change to something better, and left the small room.

She walked directly into a man, who was sipping on some ale.

She bristled visibly, and the man leered at her as she walked away.

Some more men looked up at her, and she saw that they were soldiers. She panicked. What if they were looking for her?

Glancing around, she spotted a man who was offering his goods to the patrons and she made her way to him, hoping that the men would then grow tired of looking and turn back to their drinking.

"Know of any well-paying jobs in Lothering?" She asked the man.

He looked her up and down and she found herself flushing at his inquisitive stare.

What was it with men and the way they looked at her anyway? She felt the anger start at the pit of her stomach.

"Well..." the man drawled. "Do you know anything about poison?"

She nodded and thought that this town was definitely strange.

"I need these three vials full of venom. You get some toxin extract and make some, and I'll reward you for it."

"What is happening here?" She asked the man as she took the vials.

"You don't know?" The man asked, as he stared at her in disbelief.

"I wouldn't be asking now, would I?" She smiled.

"Well, the ruler of the town, the bann, has gone off to fight at Ostagar. We got word that he's dead now and his soldiers too. There ain't anyone left to protect us. The darkspawn have massacred everyone. Except for Loghain who pulled away and saved all of his soldiers before they were killed too. Some of them are here," he nodded in the direction of the soldiers she had just passed.

"There was a battle at Ostagar?" She inquired, now feeling very curious about the whole situation.

"Yep," the man answered and continued. "The Grey Wardens were there too. They were fighting by King Cailan's side. Problem is that they apparently had struck a deal with the Grey Wardens, and tried to abandon him, leaving him to be killed by darkspawn on the field."

"Grey Wardens?" She asked.

"You know, the order of warriors who are said to protect us from darkspawn?"

She didn't know, but she was learning about them now. However, she guessed it wouldn't be wise to show how much she didn't know to this man. He would start asking questions about her then, and she didn't want to risk that. Especially since she still could not remember who she was.

She nodded and the man continued. "Well, it seems that the darkspawn are raiding all the towns they can and are making their way here. Some of the people are already leaving Lothering."

"Why are those soldiers here?"

"They're looking for two Grey Wardens who escaped from Ostagar," came the man's answer. "They're traitors to the crown, Loghain is regent now. Say, are you going to get me my venom or not?" The man finished, glaring at her.

"Of course. Just wait here, I'll be back as soon as I can."

The door to the inn opened as she was talking and she saw Loghain's men stand up and meet the people who had entered. She turned around to see two men, a mabari hound and a strange-looking lady standing in front of the soldiers. They were already in a heated argument and she had some time to look at the two men curiously before slipping away unnoticed. She didn't want to find herself in a fight, and call any unnecessary attention to herself.

When she was outside, she frowned.

She couldn't help but feel that one of the men had seemed familiar to her.

...

(Prince's PoV)

Prince sniffed the air above him. One of the smells seemed familiar to him, and he sniffed again, his head turning to the direction of source of the smell.

His master was busy talking to some strange men.

Prince bristled, and the hair on his back raised slightly as he felt that the men wished to harm his master.

He prepared himself to fight, fixing his eyes on the man talking to him.

Just as he was about to lunge, the familiar smell reached him again, and he stopped, in time to see a female figure sliding past them silently and out the door.

He wanted to follow her- he knew who she was then, but he had to focus on other important things at the moment.

His master had already started to fight the men so he charged.


	4. Do I Know You?

**Thanks to Brass Camera for the review! Yay! :D **

**Bioware owns... ;) **

Chapter 4 - Do I Know You?

She paused outside the inn, to collect herself and then head out to what she assumed was the correct direction.

She passed a cage where a prisoner was muttering to himself. Her eyes widened when she saw the thing in the cage, because she could only call it a thing. It wasn't human, that much was certain.

Shaking her head, she resumed her journey passing by a cornfield on the way. It was here that she was ambushed by bandits.

She literally growled at the two fools who attacked her first.

In one graceful movement, she had unsheathed her weapons, and killed them. She didn't have time to congratulate herself, as there were more, and she didn't want to use any of her deathroot poison, so she did what she was best at doing; she ran.

Right into the path of the biggest spiders she had ever seen in her entire life.

...

Aedan stared down at Prince, who was barking furiously at him.

"What?" He demanded.

Prince continued to bark, and ran a short way then came back and barked again.

"Looks like he wants you to follow him," Alistair offered.

"Really?" Morrigan started sarcastically. "Now what would give you _that_ idea?"

"Looks like I'll be doing a lot of kissing on this trip," Aedan retorted, feigning discomfort. "I suppose we'll have to see what he wants. We're heading that way after all. Have to see where these groups of bandits are..."

They ran after Prince, and on the way, discovered two dead bodies.

"What's this?" Alistair asked.

"Don't start, Morrigan, please," Aedan said quickly, before she could comment, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked around for more bodies, but there were none. "Hmmm, that's strange."

Prince had run ahead and there were sounds of fighting coming from behind a small hill.

They ran towards the direction of the barking and fighting and stopped still.

A girl in leather armor was spinning around madly like a top, hitting two huge spiders with her daggers. In a lethal dance she managed to kill one, Prince was tearing into the other one.

At her feet and around her, lay four more men, and four more spiders.

She helped Prince out and soon that spider lay dead as well.

Pivoting around, she stood in a defensive pose, ready to stab the dog or the two men that were gawking at her. One of them, the one in the split mail armor, was practically drooling, the idiot.

Aedan could not believe his eyes.

"Azure!" He called.

The girl faltered and chanced a look behind her.

No, nobody there.

"Azure! It is Aedan!"

She realized the man was talking to her, and she blinked.

"Do I know you?" She asked after a few moments, still crouching in a defensive pose.

Alistair turned to eye Aedan. "Well, do you?" He asked.

"That's my little sister," Aedan shot back.

"Little?" Alistair answered dumbly. There was nothing little about her. Alistair blushed.

"Stop looking at her like that! She's only sixteen!" Aedan yelled at him.

Alistair's eyes dropped to the ground.

Behind them Morrigan laughed.

...

_Great! I'm now surrounded by lunatics and a huge mabari hound. _

She did not relax her stance and the familiar-looking man took a step towards her.

"Stop! I'll stab you if I have to. Just go away!" The girl cried out.

"Azure, what's happened to you?" Aedan asked sadly.

The girl's weapons started to tremble slightly.

Aedan took another careful step. She tensed her body again, and faced him.

"You don't get it do you? I said 'Stop'." Then she flung herself at him.

Aedan did not fight back. She stopped and looked at him, her brilliant green eyes wide with surprise. Then the dog leapt up on her and she fell to the ground on her behind.

She squirmed under the dog's tongue as he licked her face all over, and gave a happy bark.

Obviously the dog and the man knew her, but she hadn't the faintest idea of who they were.

"Ugh, eww! Get this thing off me!" She cried.

"Prince!" Aedan called and the dog immediately stopped and sat. He held out a hand to help her get up.

She took it, then sheathed her daggers.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but thanks, I guess. That dog stinks pretty badly."

Prince whined and cocked his head, deeply saddened by her comment.

"Sorry, but you do," she retorted.

Behind them, Alistair chuckled.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Aedan asked.

The girl shook her head.

"Do you remember who you are?" He knew the answer, but needed confirmation.

The girl looked down briefly, as if she were deep in thought. After a few moments, she spoke.

"No, I don't. And I'm only here because this stupid mage suggested it."

"Mage?" Alistair asked interestedly.

"Yes, he saved my life. The wolves would have killed me," she said miserably.

"Well, I'm glad," Aedan said earnestly, his eyes twinkling.

"I've work to do," she said and took some vials from her pockets and proceeded to extract toxin from the dead spiders.

"You sure she is your sister?" Alistair whispered to Aedan.

"Of course, I'm sure! I would know her anywhere!" Aedan whispered back indignantly.

The girl turned to glare at them, and they were silent. Alistair looked up at the sky, blushing furiously.

She sighed and resumed her task. Soon she had three vials full of venom and three with the toxin samples.

"Well, I'll be going, I suppose." She said.

She walked away, towards the direction of the town.

Aedan jabbed at Alistair with his elbow who was staring at her again as she walked.

"Owww!" He protested and blushed.

"Prince," Aedan told the mabari hound, "follow her and keep an eye on her, and _don't_ let her leave this town, do you hear?"

The mabari barked once and ran after the girl.

"Right," Aedan said as he turned back. "Let's kill the rest of the bandits."

...

The girl saw the mabari fall into step beside her and rolled her eyes.

"I know what this man is doing, and it won't work, you know," she told the dog.

Prince wagged his tale and barked.

"I'm telling you, all I want is to get out of here."

Prince whined.

She sighed. Here she was talking to a dog. A dog who had been sent after her. She thought back at the weird meeting that had just taken place. Where had she seen that man before?

She went over the bridge and arrived to the merchant stand. The Chantry sister had vanished.

She held out the three toxin samples the man wanted. He gave her twenty silvers for each grumpily.

"What's up with you?" She asked.

"Ugh! This idiot came and heard the sister whining and ordered me to lower my prices."

Azure grinned. "Well, aren't I lucky. I want to buy some stuff."

The man sighed and nodded.

She got a couple of fire and soulrot bombs and deathroots. She bought vials as well and then settled on a bottle of wine.

She looked at the things she had and noticed she had no pockets to hold them and she frowned.

"How much for the backpack?" She asked.

"Seven sovereigns," he shot back.

"What? That's ridiculous!" She yelled as she whipped out her blades.

"Look, I don't want no more problems," the man answered taking a step back.

"I killed some bloody huge spiders to bring you this toxin. I'll hurt you badly if you don't lower your price," she stepped forward menacingly, and twirled her daggers.

"All right, all right! Two sovereigns and they're yours."

"I'll give you one, take it or leave it."

The man took a look at her daggers again, which were kind of hard to miss, since she was holding them up to his face.

"Deal," he muttered and handed her the backpack.

"Thank you," Azure said sweetly and proceeded to shove all her things inside.

She left the man and glided towards the Chantry board next. The only job there, which was to dispose of three groups of bandits, had already been taken.

"Blast it!" She exclaimed, knowing full well who had taken it.

Then, an idea crossed her mind and without thinking twice, she ran off in the direction where she had come from, Prince running after her.

**A/N: Hmmm. Can you guess what this idea is? **

**Please review, I just LOVE reviews! :D **


	5. A Matter of Convenience

**Thanks so much, Jinx1983 for your review! YAY! :D I also want to thank all those who have put this story on their favorites and alerts! **

**Bioware owns! (just so you know) ;) **

Chapter 5 - A Matter Of Convenience

She reached them and saw that they were fighting more bandits, so she unsheathed her daggers immediately and sped on to the archer, leaving the two men and the mabari fighting the rest.

The strange woman was shooting something using her staff as a weapon. She thought she must be some kind of mage.

The archer aimed straight at her, but she dodged the arrow, and using stealth, disappeared from view. The archer blinked and looked around.

She reappeared behind him and stabbed him quickly. He never knew what hit him.

Both Alistair and Aedan ran up to her, Prince and Morrigan close behind.

"That was pretty impressive!" Alistair exclaimed.

Azure ignored him but smiled at the compliment as she turned to the other man.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, knowing full well what she was doing all the same.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She retorted. "I thought that if I helped you two with the bandits you could share the reward with me?"

Aedan burst out laughing. He saw that whatever had happened to her, it certainly had had no effect on her personality and was grateful.

"You've got yourself a deal," he replied and held out his hand.

The girl eyed it suspiciously for a moment, and then took it and shook it, sealing the deal.

"And may I add that you would be useful to us. Very useful. You can come with us as we travel. We need someone that is as skilled as you are." He beamed at her.

The girl liked this man. He wasn't leering at her and made her feel comfortable. She agreed.

"Okay, deal," she grinned.

"My name is Aedan," he paused, as if the name held any meaning to her. It didn't.

He sighed and continued talking, "This is my friend and brother, Alistair." He pointed at Alistair who grinned sheepishly. The girl smiled and nodded.

"And this is Morrigan," Aedan finished. Morrigan nodded at the girl.

Prince whined plaintively. "You already know Prince," he added hastily and the dog barked happily.

The girl laughed.

She looked at each one again, taking in further details. She noticed then that Alistair, also known as 'The Idiot' to her, looked roguishly handsome and she flushed slightly, before setting her eyes on Morrigan and her offensive top.

The girl shook her head, and kept her thoughts to herself.

She turned to Aedan and said, "Well, I suppose we should go find the rest of the bandits."

Aedan nodded and all of them started to walk, turning to the right. It was at this precise moment, almost on cue, that they were attacked again.

Azure ran directly to the archers, just as Aedan did, leaving Alistair and Prince to deal with the two melee fighters.

Morrigan stood behind, assisting whenever possible.

The fight was short but successful and soon Azure busied herself looting the corpses.

She felt she was being watched and straightened, looking at the two men defiantly, her hands on her hips.

"What?" She asked, annoyed at their stares. "We need to see what they have, we need the money. Well, I do anyway." She shrugged and Aedan broke into a smile.

...

The great stone highway loomed directly in front of them and they spotted a lone figure dressed in a Chantry dress and Azure sighed, and rolled her eyes.

_I hope it isn't the Chantry sister who was arguing with that merchant!_

It wasn't. It was a redhead and she was suddenly begging to be taken along.

She heard Alistair intercede in the redhead's favor and saw that Aedan was hesitating.

When she heard him say she could come along, she slapped a hand to her forehead and started to protest.

"Ugh, Chantry sister," was all she could get out before Alistair turned to her and fixed his warm brown eyes on her.

"What's wrong with Chantry sisters?" He asked her curiously.

She didn't know what was wrong, and found her temper rising.

"I don't like them, and _you'd_ better mind your own business," she snarled back at him and Alistair took a step back, his eyes wide with surprise.

Morrigan laughed.

She huffed and strode ahead, stomping her feet as she walked.

Alistair turned to Aedan, a curious look on his face.

"Well, we had a Chantry sister at the castle. Mother Mallol. She and Azure never saw eye to eye, and they were always bickering at each other. Well...she was, at least..." he offered as an explanation.

Leliana, who was the name of the Chantry sister, now part of their little group, (and who never really was a sister) just observed everything that was taking place, and followed them silently, keeping her thoughts to herself.

"I suppose we'll have to get her some armor," Aedan said to Alistair. "I know it would help my sister if she didn't see her in that dress."

Alistair nodded and smiled but secretly shared Azure's dislike of Chantry sisters. He knew that they were forever chiding and scolding him while he was in the Chantry, learning his Templar skills, and from that moment onwards had held a profound dislike for them.

Aedan's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Besides, she has a terrible temper."

...

They found themselves back at the inn once they had finished dealing with other jobs posted on the board.

Everyone turned to look at them, and remembering they had slaughtered Loghain's men, hurried out of their way as soon as they walked in, but they were oblivious to this.

Aedan wanted a drink and something to eat. They sat at a table and waited for someone to take their order. Azure made her way towards the man she had struck a deal with, and handed him the three vials of venom. She stayed on, looking at his wares after he had paid her.

Aedan turned to chat to Leliana, asking her about her life in the Chantry and Alistair found that he could finally fix his gaze on Azure freely, without her brother jabbing or, Maker forbid, punching him.

She looked older than sixteen if you looked at her body, which Alistair turned his gaze away from, blushing, and fixed his stare on her face instead. She had pretty, short, reddish brown hair, a cute turned-up nose and a sprinkle of freckles on it. Her eyes were looking at the merchant, but Alistair already knew they were a bright green that could express emotions easily.

He sighed.

Morrigan turned her attention on him and smiled as she sharpened her claws.

"Our little Templar seems to be quite taken by your sibling, Warden," she purred.

Aedan stopped talking and turned to Alistair, who was blushing of course.

"I- I don't mean anything...by it," he started to defend himself, holding out his hands before him, palms toward Aedan. "I was just looking to see if there was a family resemblance, that's all!"

"Well, do you see one?" Aedan asked, and his question surprised Alistair, who had expected a punch on the face.

"Well, not much, but there is something about the face, the shape of your eyes, in particular," Alistair said quickly.

Aedan smiled, but before he could reply, Azure was back at their table, grinning proudly at herself.

"I just made one more sovereign," she announced and sat down on the only empty chair there, which happened to be right next to The Idiot.

She sighed, and Aedan stood up and went to the merchant, deciding it was time to buy Leliana that armor.

He had taken Leliana along to make the purchase, so she could choose what she wanted.

That left her alone at the table with Alistair and Morrigan and she used the time to start staring at Morrigan, who was looking at her too.

Alistair broke into her thoughts.

"So, um, you mentioned you were attacked by wolves and a mage saved you?"

She turned to him and found herself staring into a pair of beautiful and very warm amber eyes.

She started, then recovered quickly. She didn't like warm, it made her nervous.

"Yes, he, he said that he was escaping the tower and was being chased by...by..."

"Templars. That's what they do. Hunt down any mages who escape from the tower." Alistair said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, I used to be one."

Her eyes widened.

"Well, no, not exactly. I never took my vows. I was taken away from the Chantry by Duncan. And that was lucky and made me very happy," he added and smiled genuinely at her.

A servant appeared at their table, ready to take their order.

"What kind of food do you have?" Azure asked her.

"We have rabbit stew." The woman replied in a surly tone.

"Do you have any cheese?" Alistair asked hopefully. The woman looked at him as if he'd gone mad.

"There are refuges all over, food is scarce," came her reply through clenched teeth.

"Of- of course, sorry," Alistair said contritely.

Azure butt in impatiently. "We'll have the stew, let's see...um...for five," Prince whined next to her, "sorry, _**six**_, and five ales."

The woman nodded and disappeared.

Aedan sat at the table suddenly, without Leliana. "She's gone to change into the armor I got," he said, looking at their blank faces. "Have you ordered?"

They nodded. "Good. I'm famished!"

"So, you say we're related?" Azure asked him directly.

He faltered, not expecting the direct question from her so soon.

"Yes, you're my younger sister, sixteen but soon to be seventeen. Next month, in fact."

"It's my birthday next month?" She asked and fell silent.

"Yes, in about two weeks," he answered her.

She was getting angry at her memory now, so she asked the next question without really thinking it through. In the meantime, Leliana had quietly come back and sat at the table beside Aedan, who had stolen an appraising glance at her figure, which didn't go unnoticed because Azure caught it.

"So does that mean _he's_," pointing a thumb at Alistair, "my brother too?"

"What? No! Alistair and I aren't brothers!" He said and chuckled.

"Well, you called him your brother when you introduced him," she said.

"Well, we _are_ brothers, but not _siblings_," the food arrived and interrupted him. He was grateful.

He knew his sister, and how she wildly reacted at some things, and he didn't want to say anything else, until they were safely away from this town. He just hoped she wouldn't continue to press him for information.

She didn't, she was too busy tearing into the stew and burned her tongue in the process.

"Ow!" She said, and grabbed a loaf of bread from the center of the table, which she took a huge bite from to stop the pain.

Alistair smiled into his stew.

They soon finished and Aedan pushed his plate away.

"All right, that really filled the spot," he said with satisfaction. "Now let's get to the Chantry to speak to the Revered Mother, we have to rescue Sten."

Azure bristled visibly when she heard 'Chantry', so he decided that Morrigan and Prince should stay with her, while he, Alistair and Leliana went to the Chantry.

Morrigan said nothing but glared at Aedan anyway, and soon they were standing outside the Chantry, watching the others disappear into the building.

Azure finally had the opportunity to turn to Morrigan and ask her all the questions she wanted.

She grinned as she moved in for the kill.

**A/N: Don't you just love Azure? LOL! **

**Next chapter, lots of whatnots, hehehe :D Please drop me a line and review, reviews help me write faster! ;) **


	6. Confessions, Wherefores and Whatnots

**Thanks to jinx1983 for her review! You rock! :D **

**Oh! Before I forget, you know the drill: Bioware owns :D **

**Please read and review if you can, reviews mean a lot to me, thanks! :) **

Chapter 6 - Confessions, Wherefores and Whatnots

Everyone was busy setting up tents and building a big fire around them.

Azure was trying to get her tent up. She was doing more than trying. The tent was refusing to cooperate. Stubbornly refusing.

She tried and tried, over and over, until her temper got the best of her.

Alistair had already set up his tent and was watching her. He was grinning.

She fumed and danced around, and kicked the canvas. Twice.

She heard footsteps behind her and whirled around, her daggers at the ready.

"Whoa! I just want to see if I can help you, not here to fight," Alistair said, holding up his palms and smiling.

She put the daggers away, and sat on the ground as he put up her tent.

"Thanks," she mumbled when he was done, and he sat on the ground beside her.

"Not a problem."

"So what did you do when you left the Chantry? You said someone called Duncan saved you or something like that?" She asked curiously, but then wished she hadn't because he suddenly looked very sad.

"Yes, he recruited me into the order, and just in time too. He meant a lot to me," he said softly, staring at the ground.

"Order?" She asked puzzled.

"Oh, didn't Aedan tell you? We're Grey Wardens," came Alistair's reply.

"What?"

She stood up with a speed that surprised him, and ran off to Aedan, who was chatting to Leliana.

"You! How is it that you forgot to mention that you're Grey Wardens!" She hissed at him, pointing a finger at his face.

Aedan blinked and just looked at the finger for a few moments.

He opened his mouth to say something, and was cut off by Azure.

"Grey Wardens! A guy at the inn told me that you abandoned the king on the battlefield! Is that true?" She shouted.

"No! We didn't abandon-"

"Then what are you doing here, alive? Huh?" She pressed.

"Listen Azure," Aedan began, but Alistair was the one who spoke up.

"Loghain's men. They were the ones who betrayed the king. Aedan and I were on the top floor of the Tower of Ishal and lit a beacon for his men to come in and flank the darkspawn, but Loghain gave a signal to his men and abandoned the ones that were fighting in the field. The ones fighting were the Grey Wardens, Duncan, who was the Grey Warden Commander and the king and his soldiers. They all were massacred by the darkspawn. We were ambushed by darkspawn too, but Morrigan's mother saved us. Loghain is the traitor, not us. I lost Duncan that day, aside from my other brothers. He was...like a father to me."

Nobody spoke.

Azure looked at Alistair, who had bowed his head after he finished talking. She felt terrible. Her temper had ruined things, and she felt really badly about it.

"Oh!" She said. "I'm so sorry. I guess, I guess I should have asked first, huh?" She mumbled. She looked at Alistair again, who was looking at her sadly. She felt her eyes brimming with tears, and walked away before they fell.

"You're right, Aedan. She does have a terrible temper." Alistair said after a while. "But you can't help but like her more because of it."

"So, you like my sister, eh?" Aedan turned to him, and to Alistair's surprise, he was smiling.

"Well, yes, um...would that be a problem?"

"As long as your intentions are honorable, no, no problem with that," Aedan's grin deepened when he saw Alistair blush.

"I- I am never dishonorable anyway," he added hastily and walked to his tent to put his things inside.

"Didn't think you were," Aedan called after him.

...

Azure sat in her tent, and took out a stone figurine of a warrior from her pack. She thought that maybe it was sort of the thing that The Idiot would like to have, she felt badly about the Grey Warden thing and wanted to make amends.

Of course, giving it to him would prove to be much more embarrassing to her, so she thought she'd just slip it in his tent while he wasn't around.

She thought back on her conversation with Morrigan.

Morrigan was a swamp witch, and she had the hots for Aedan. She could live with that.

Well, maybe she couldn't.

There was something about Morrigan that made her uneasy. She was always so rude and edgy too...she didn't like how arrogant she was. Azure smiled as she thought about a way to solve _that_ problem.

Sten was creepy. He was a Qunari and supposedly a great addition to their team. She wondered about that, but respected Aedan's choice to save him from death and bring him along.

She still had to question Leliana, but all Leliana had spoken about was the Maker this and the Maker that. It made her uneasy and reminded her of someone, but she couldn't remember who.

She sighed, feeling frustrated. She would give anything to get her stupid memory back!

...

She left her tent and walked to Aedan who was setting a big pot over the fire.

"Cooking, huh?" She asked and smiled at him.

"Well, I might as well. Alistair has disappeared into his tent, and Morrigan has her own fire and tent way back there, and Leliana said something about taking a bath in the pond not far from here, so I thought I'd give it a try."

"There's a pond? We can bathe and everything?" She asked, her eyes widening.

"Yes," he smiled, looking up at her.

"Ooooh!" She squealed and ran back to her tent, taking a towel and some soap. She looked at the stone figurine, and decided to take that too. Keeping it hidden in one of her pockets was no problem as she had emptied them. She just had to wait for the right moment to do what she wanted.

Alistair was leaving his tent as she ran out of hers, and walked towards Aedan, his back to her.

Without thinking twice, she went into his tent, and placed the figurine on his bedroll, then dashed out again, glancing at him, but he still had his back to her.

She smiled and ran off to the pond.

...

Leliana and Azure chatted for a while as they bathed, and already Azure was getting bored.

All Leliana wanted to talk about was shoes and ribbons and hair.

She sighed.

This was a bad idea.

She finished washing her hair and left the pond, telling her that she would head back to camp. Unfortunately Leliana said she would too, and stayed with her. She was still chatting as she dried herself and her hair, and put on her armor.

She continued to chat as they made their way back to the camp.

Azure felt like screaming.

...

Back at camp Aedan informed everyone that the stew he was making was nearly ready and Morrigan passed him on her way to the pond, brushing by him as she walked.

Azure rolled her eyes and excused herself for a moment, and Alistair turned to Aedan.

"So you really think going to the circle tower is the best idea?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes, you heard the rumor too, right? I'm just worried that it may be true," Aedan said.

"All right. And from there?"

"From there, we'll go to Redcliffe, I promise, Alistair," he answered back.

Alistair smiled at him and nodded, feeling relieved. He was still worried about Arl Eamon's condition, as they had found out in Lothering that he was seriously ill.

Azure came back and stood before them, a smug look on her face.

"What did you do?" Aedan asked her, knowing that look very well.

"Me? Nothing! Nothing at all," she lied, looking up at him innocently.

Aedan sighed and turned his attention back to the stew.

They were all eating, when Morrigan came back from her bath. Aedan and Alistair had already finished and were just stretching sitting as comfortably as they could. Leliana was humming a tune and Azure suddenly perked up, and set her bowl down as she watched Morrigan walk to her tent.

Her green eyes twinkled mischievously and she turned to Leliana suddenly and asked her if she had any campfire stories to tell.

"Oh! I love stories. Have you heard the one of Aveline, the female knight? It's from Orlais."

Even Prince sat beside Aedan and looked up at Leliana attentively, who immediately started to tell the tale without waiting for their reply.

Suddenly a shriek came from Morrigan's tent that caused them all to jump.

Azure had to bite her cheeks to keep from laughing.

Morrigan strode into their camp, holding a the remains of some animal in her hands.

"Look!" She said angrily, as she thrust it into Aedan's face. "Look at what your hound has left in my tent!"

Aedan looked and Prince whined.

"A half-eaten hare is not something a girl wants to find whilst looking through her unmentionables," she said angrily.

Prince whined again and turned puppy dog eyes up at Morrigan.

Morrigan was not moved.

"Well, I think he likes you. He just did it to get your attention," Aedan offered hopefully.

Morrigan scowled and went off to her tent.

Aedan turned to Azure. He glared at her. She looked at him innocently.

He shook his head and stood up, heading towards Morrigan's tent.

Once he was out of earshot, Azure burst out laughing. She continued to laugh and held her stomach.

"You put the hare there, didn't you?" Alistair said, laughing too.

"Yep!" She managed in between peals of laughter, and even Leliana giggled.

Alistair decided right then and there that this girl was something special.

...

Aedan didn't come back from her tent for a very long time. Azure knew why, and surprised herself by feeling a bit angry.

Alistair caught the feeling, and asked her what was wrong. Leliana had run out of stories to tell and had just said good night to them both.

"Nothing is wrong, just leave me alone," came her surly reply.

He felt concerned, so he brushed away her reply and spoke again.

"Look, I'm a great listener," he said, and sat closer. "You can trust me, really."

"You wouldn't understand," she said, feeling her anger rise. She certainly wasn't going to tell him now, but she had remembered about her incident with the man in the wagon.

"Well, try me," he said gently.

Her anger boiled over. "Listen, you! I told you nothing is wrong, and nothing is wrong! UGH! Why do you insist on pressing on with the question is beyond me! Leave me alone!"

She stood up and flung her arms up, but Alistair was not undaunted. "Look, I'm sorry, all right? I really don't mean to pry or anything..." he said softly, putting a hand on her arm.

His hand was warm. She felt electric sparks shooting up that arm, and stood absolutely still. Turning her eyes on him, eyes that were wide with fear, she ran off to her tent, leaving a very worried and confused Alistair behind.

"Frightening her off, huh? I should have known," Aedan said as he walked and sat down in front of the fire.

"I don't need you to come and gloat, thank you," Alistair answered, feeling angry himself.

"Hey! Tone it down, why don't you! I don't mean anything by it, honest! Just a stupid joke."

Alistair did not reply but instead turned to Aedan, concern written all over his face.

"Aedan, I have the feeling something happened to her while she was being carried off to Denerim as you said. Think about it. She disappears from your home, which is up in the north, and reappears somewhere close to Lothering, where a mage rescues her from wolves. She isn't telling us something, and I'm worried about it."

"Yes, I'm worried too," Aedan added truthfully and frowned.

"She was running from something, and I don't think it was just the wolves," was Alistair's comment.

Neither of them spoke, lost in their thoughts.

"Who's taking first watch?" Aedan finally said.

"I will, you just catch up on some sleep. I'll bring my bedroll out for later. It's a nice night and I wouldn't mind sleeping out here."

"All right. I'll get my bedroll too," Aedan said.

...

Alistair entered his tent and was about to pick his bedroll up when his eyes fell on something that glinted in the half light. He gasped when he identified what it was.

Lying on the bedroll, was a miniature carved stone warrior, polished and perfect in every way possible.

He took it reverently and turned it over, looking at the details. He wondered who had given him such a precious gift.

He didn't have to wonder for long when he remembered that there was only **one** person that looted bodies or crates in the group.

A person he was feeling more than attraction for at this very moment.

He broke into a bright smile and stashed the figurine in his backpack. Then, he walked back to the fire, carrying his bedroll and set it on the ground.

Aedan walked out of his tent as well, and set his bedroll on the ground next to Alistair. Then he paused as he looked at his face.

"What's up with you? You look like it's your birthday and you've received a special gift or something," he commented dryly.

"Oh, nothing, don't mind me. Now get some sleep," Alistair replied as he looked into the fire, the smile still playing on his lips.


	7. Through The Looking Glass

**Thank you Jinx1983 for your review! Reviews are what keep me writing! :D I also want to thank those that are following this story and have added it as a favorite or to their alerts. All of you rock! :D **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 7 - Through The Looking Glass

Aedan had his first Grey Warden nightmare that night. Alistair was there to wake him and explain that what he was seeing was really the archdemon tapping into his mind. Aedan sat through his explanation, digesting the information.

"Thanks Alistair. I appreciate you being here and taking the time to explain this to me," Aedan finally said quietly.

"Hey, no problem," Alistair said grinning. "That's what I'm here for after all. To deliver bad news and witty one-liners."

Dawn was breaking and they decided to start pulling up camp. Alistair went to the pond to wash himself first.

Azure came out of her tent and saw that Aedan was taking a towel and a bar of soap, so she assumed that he was going to bathe in the pond.

"Where's Alistair?" She asked, and then felt herself blushing under Aedan's stare.

"He's taking a bath too, I suppose," Aedan chuckled and seemed thoroughly amused at Azure's question.

"Oh, yes...well, I'll start packing then!" She said and then groaned, when Leliana came out of her tent and cheerfully called out to her.

"Good morning, Azure! I have some ribbons here that would suit you just fine!"

"Hide me! Quick!" She whispered to Aedan in pure agony.

"Too late, I'm afraid. She's seen you and I'm off to take a bath! Bye now!" Aedan left chuckling.

"I'll get you for this!" Azure growled, then forced a smile on her face as Leliana stood there beaming at her.

"Um...no, I don't think I have time. I...uh...have to make breakfast!"

"Oh! I can help!" Leliana said eagerly.

Azure walked to the fire and desperately wished Morrigan was here.

...

The trip to the Circle Tower took four more days.

During that time Alistair had not even acknowledged the gift he had found on his bedroll. The problem for him was that he had seen fear in her eyes and was certain that it had been because he had touched her arm. He wondered why a touch had made her so afraid and didn't know how to talk to her about it, without causing her more fear or making her slap him or something.

Azure was distant with him, and that made matters worse. She felt slightly angry that he hadn't said anything about her gift.

She just didn't understand men.

She sighed.

Still there was something about this one...she gave herself a mental shake and pressed on, following closely behind Aedan and Alistair.

They arrived early on the fourth morning, and the view of the lake and the tower had them speechless for a few moments.

"Wow," Azure said, and it pretty much summed up what the rest were thinking.

They made their way down a hill and saw an inn not far from the lake.

"This is very convenient," Aedan said happily.

"It is?" She shot back.

"Yes. If there really are abominations around, I don't want to take everyone there. Some can stay behind at the inn, and relax."

"You think of everything, don't you?" She grinned up at him.

"Well, not everything, but I try," he shot back, grinning at her too.

All of them walked into the inn, except for Azure. She saw two men standing right beside the inn and one of them was holding a strange looking pouch.

Her curiosity got the best of her and she approached the man and asked him about the pouch.

He greeted her with a smile and told her about the Mages Collective.

She liked what she heard and the fact that she would get money for doing the jobs, made it even more appealing to her.

She took a look at all the jobs, and accepted them all.

She glanced back at the lake, and saw three suspicious looking characters standing around. She would have to tell Aedan about that. She knew that they were probably some deserters that Aedan had to find and deal with, which was a job from the Blackstone Irregulars, but felt that Aedan would know best, since he was the one who had accepted the jobs anyway.

She looked at the other man standing there. A nice older man who smiled absent-mindedly at her.

She smiled back and went into the inn at last.

They were all sitting at a table, and she made her way over.

She discovered that the only empty chair once again, was next to Alistair, and she sighed.

It seemed to be her fate.

She sat down and glanced quickly at him, but he was busy looking at the pattern on the table and blushing.

_Why the heck was he blushing for? _

A female dwarf came over to take their order.

Azure stared. She had never seen a dwarf before.

Alistair again asked if they had any cheese. She looked curiously at him at this. He caught her looking and gave her a brilliant smile which completely took her by surprise.

"Cheese makes everything better," he said.

This made her smile too, and then she was the one who was studying the pattern on the table.

She suddenly remembered and lifted her face to Aedan, who happened to be looking at her.

"Oh, Aedan! There are some suspicious looking characters outside. Three of them. Didn't you tell me you had accepted some jobs for the Blackstone Irregulars back in Lothering?"

"Oh, right...I had completely forgotten. Thanks for reminding me. I'll have to, um, speak about that with them when we leave the inn. After we eat, that is."

She smiled.

Soon they were eating porridge that was very good, and having some hot tea. Alistair finally got some cheese and he was very happy.

It sure did beat the meals they cooked at camp.

...

As soon as they finished their breakfast, Morrigan began her rant against the circle tower.

It went on and on until Azure felt like screaming for her to stop.

She did stop eventually as Aedan took her by the elbow and led her outside.

Alistair cleared his throat beside her.

"Uh, I wanted to talk to you," he said softly, his eyes warm.

This took her completely by surprise, and she started, and in doing so her lips parted.

Alistair's stare fixed on her lips, and for some strange reason he blushed again.

"Has anyone ever told you before how red suits you?" She teased.

He laughed at this.

"No, this is the first time," his blush was gradually diminishing, and he now had pink cheeks.

"Well, it does," she grinned back, aware that she had put him more at ease.

"I just wanted to thank you for the...you know, ah...the figurine..."

"Oh! I thought you'd missed it and left it behind, since it took you _four days_ to say something about it."

He started to babble, the color had risen in his cheeks again.

"Oh, no! I saw it alright. It winked at me...I mean, glinted at me. I mean...er...it shone, oh, well, the light fell on it. I saw it. And I really, really like it. I didn't know you knew that I liked figurines," he was talking fast now, stumbling over his words.

"I didn't know. I just took a chance, really," she smiled. "I'm glad you liked it. I felt bad about the Grey Warden thing, you know? Sometimes I open my mouth and say a lot of things, and I don't really mean to be mean or anything, they just come out, you know?"

"Yes," he grinned, "I _do_ know. You are talking to Master Babble On here, after all." His voice was laden with amusement.

She laughed at this, and fell silent, her cheeks now pink. She looked very pleased, and Alistair's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Morrigan and Aedan walked back inside at that moment. Morrigan was flushed, of all things, and Azure could guess what they had been up to.

She rolled her eyes.

"Right, let's go see about the three suspicious fellows and after that, get to the tower. I hope you, Azure will come with us. Alistair, it's just you, me and Azure on this trip."

Alistair nodded and got up as well as the rest.

"The rest of you can stay around the inn, or inside and relax. If we take longer than we should and night time rolls around, rent some rooms." He handed Leliana some coins. She nodded, smiling at him.

"Let's go," Aedan said, and they all followed him out of the inn.

...

Azure felt uncomfortable. She didn't like Wynne one bit. She had the feeling that she would get scolded at any minute now. And the worst part is that she didn't know what she would get scolded for.

They had made their way up the tower, looking for the First Enchanter, and killing off demons and abominations on their way. Azure loved killing the abominations, they would spatter blood all over.

She was having fun, whenever she forgot about Wynne, that is.

They found themselves on the umpteenth floor or something like that, and ran into a demon that was talking to a Templar.

She didn't wait for the demon to finish talking, but charged, flashing her daggers.

Behind her, Alistair swore under his breath and ran after her, shield and sword at the ready while Aedan focused on the bewitched Templar.

"Ha! I'm hacking into you easily, Demon! Die!" She called out triumphantly.

The Demon sneered and did a little jig, and suddenly she was flung backwards and fell to the floor, the wind knocked out of her. A silvery laugh came out of the demon's mouth and it glided over to her readying itself for the kill.

"Oh, no you don't!" Alistair's voice boomed behind the demon and he plunged his sword into it, killing it instantly.

"You all right?" He breathed, and she nodded, scrambling quickly to her feet. They both turned at the same time and concentrated on the undead behind them.

...

It was very late when they got back to the dock, and they were exhausted.

They had managed to kill Uldred, the one behind the whole mess at the Circle Tower and had secured the mages to help them fight the Blight.

Wynne had asked for permission to follow Aedan on his quest against the Blight and First Enchanter Irving had agreed to let her go. Aedan had said he felt honored, but Azure was unnaturally silent and subdued.

The truth was that Azure was very upset. Aedan had burst into her nightmare, and had finally discovered what she was so painfully trying to keep from all of them.

The fact that she had been very close to being raped.

The fact that made her wary of the opposite sex, and frightened whenever someone leered at her or whenever a man touched her.

Aedan was visibly shaken. Azure was his little sister and very dear to her. He still wasn't clear or not if she had indeed lost her virginity, but he wouldn't pester her with questions about it.

He did pull Alistair to the side before they went to their rooms, however.

"Alistair, I must have a word with you, can you follow me back to the tables?"

"Of course," Alistair said as he caught Aedan's look.

Whatever it was he wanted to talk about, he could tell that it was bad.

They sat and he waited for Aedan to speak.

"You know how I appeared in each of your nightmares, and got you out?"

"Yes, I still can't believe Goldanna was a demon, sure had me fooled," he said.

"Well, I also saw what my sister's nightmare was, and it wasn't pleasant at all," he said, looking even worse.

"That bad, huh?" Alistair said. Aedan nodded.

"Alistair, she was either raped, or close to being raped. I'm betting it was one of Howe's men," he said, and his eyes flashed angrily. "She lost something very special that night, if she was raped. The fact is that the first time is painful for a woman, unless the man is careful and patient, I'm sure you know this. I can imagine how terrible and much more painful it must be if the woman is forced against her will."

Alistair was struck dumb, the color draining from his face. His eyes opened really wide. For a moment, they looked like they would pop right out.

"Maker's breath!" He swore.

"I wanted to tell you about it. I thought you should know, seeing how special she is to you. I think this is why she shies away or seems frightened at times, " he said, looking earnestly at Alistair.

Alistair nodded. "Thanks for telling me Aedan. You are a true friend. I'll do my best to make her feel better, I promise. And I won't tell her anything either. I hope that someday she'll trust me enough to tell me herself," he added.

"You are a great person," Aedan said. "I couldn't have asked for a better man for her. I know my parents would have approved of you."

Alistair blushed, and smiled brilliantly at him. "Thank you Aedan. It means a lot to me, truly. I don't know if I deserve her. I am a bastard after all, you know that."

"My parents wouldn't have minded, I'm sure. We grew up without all the prejudices and silly rules that make nobles arrogant pigs. They valued a man for what he was, not his title or riches. They taught us that everyone is important and everyone is to be valued."

"I would have loved to meet them," Alistair said softly. "I never had a father. Well, I did, but he never cared about me. Since we are going to Redcliffe, I might as well tell you the whole story." He took a deep breath and continued speaking. "I told you how Eamon sent me away to the Chantry, right? Well, the reason he did that was because King Maric was my father, which made Cailan my half brother, I suppose."

Aedan sat there shocked to silence for a few minutes.

"Wow," was all he managed to say.

"I would have told you, but it never really mattered to me," Alistair said. "I was inconvenient, and seen as a threat. Even Duncan kept me out of all the fighting to protect me, because of it. I just...well I wanted you to like me because I'm just Alistair. I now know that you do."

"Oh! So, you're not just a bastard but a royal bastard, hmmm?" Aedan joked.

"Ha! Good one! Well, I'm glad you are you and you don't care about these things. I'm honored to call you friend, Aedan."

"So am I, Alistair. Now let's go catch some sleep."

...

As it turned out, Azure's room was right next to Alistair's and sometime during the night, he heard her cry out.

He was awake immediately, and debated on whether or not to go check if she was all right.

He decided against it after a while when he heard no more noises coming from her room.

He did not know it, but at that moment, she was crying softly into her pillow.

He had a lot of difficulty getting back to sleep and tossed and turned.

Azure, in the meantime, continued to cry and took a long time to fall asleep herself.

The following morning, Alistair was awoken by a knock on his door.

He opened it and regarded Aedan sleepily, a frown on his face.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. I thought I'd give you this set of silverite armor. It belonged to my father. I'm wearing the armor we bought from the merchant at the tower, so I thought you should get rid of the nasty splint mail and wear this instead."

"Thanks, I guess," Alistair grinned, rubbing his eyes.

"I've ordered the maid to bring up hot water for you, so you can take a bath. I already took one. We're meeting at the same table in a couple of hours for breakfast."

"Why are you in such a good mood? Have you been in Morrigan's room or what?"

Aedan burst out laughing. "As a matter of fact, I have, and it was _good_."

Alistair held up a hand. "Please, spare me the details." He looked totally nauseated. "With Morrigan of all people. I can't take it, not this early in the morning."

"I can't help it, I keep on forgetting you're a virgin," he said, his eyebrows shooting upwards. He knew that both Alistair and Morrigan really disliked each other, and he preferred not to say anything about that.

Alistair blushed all the way down to his neck.

"Oh, don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he laughed. "See you later."

And he was gone.


	8. Antivan Dance

**Warning: Angst ahead! lol**

**Our Antivan assassin joins the group, much to the dismay of some, lol **

**Poor Zev, he is soooo controversial! :D **

Chapter 8 - Antivan Dance

It was not possible. Aedan had just accepted Zevran's offer and had recruited him to follow him. He was now a part of their group.

Alistair thought that he had surely gone mad. Zevran had looked at Azure with lust, and her brother had done nothing about this.

Azure, in the meantime, was looting the bodies and did not even look surprised when Zevran stood beside them. The truth is she had been acting strangely ever since she had seen Alistair wearing the silverite armor. She kept her distance again from him. And again he wondered what could possibly be wrong and fretted about it.

She did not know how to deal with what she was experiencing, and this made her seem distant, when in truth she was not. As soon as she had seen Alistair wearing the armor, a memory had suddenly pierced the darkness in her mind. The memory of a kind man wearing the same armor, his blue eyes looking at her lovingly. The memory had stirred many emotions in her, and she had backed away, frightened at their intensity.

They set up camp and Alistair made his way over to where she was, setting up her tent automatically as he always did. When he finished, she was sitting there looking up at him, so he sat by her side, hoping to have a conversation with her.

"Azure, I know something is wrong. I really would like to help. Would you please let me help?" He looked into her beautiful green eyes, and waited for her reply.

"Alistair, I'm not angry at you or anything, really." Her voice was tired and she looked sad and very young.

"If you only let me in, I would do my best to help you better," his warm eyes held her brilliant green and she felt her heart flutter for a brief moment.

"I...I had a memory, when I saw you with that armor on," she said slowly. "I saw a man, who was looking at me with love in his eyes. I don't know who this man was, only that I love him very much. It's the first memory I've had of the past and it's upset and frustrated me."

"Aedan told me this armor belonged to your father. Maybe it was he you saw," he said thoughtfully. "But if you really did see this man, it's good. It means you are slowly getting your memory back. You should probably tell Aedan."

"Yes, you're right. I'll tell him soon," she said, still deep in thought.

They were silent for some time.

"So," he said, pausing carefully before continuing. "What do you think about our latest addition to the group?"

"The elf? Oh..." she shrugged. "He's got only one thing on his mind, that's for sure." Her voice was full of contempt and disgust. "But then again, aren't all men like this?"

"All men? You think I have that on my mind all the time? Truly?"

"You don't?" She asked curiously.

"Well, I do think about it, sometimes. But you don't see me giving in to my desires, do you?"

She opened her eyes wide, realizing that he was speaking the truth and that he had always been only gentle and patient with her.

"Alistair," she said, feeling the need of sharing her secret with him suddenly. "There's something you don't know about me that I have to tell you."

His heart began to thump wildly in his chest. He felt slightly elated knowing what was coming next. Knowing that he had finally managed to break through and she was finally going to trust him.

"Yes?"

From behind him, a voice interrupted them. He knew who it was before he even turned around, and he felt the anger coursing through his veins.

The Antivan assassin.

"Ah, I cannot seem to find the other Warden, so I must interrupt your conversation. Forgive my rudeness," Zevran said, clearly enjoying the interruption.

Alistair and Azure both stood up. Azure eyed him indifferently, while Alistair flushed angrily.

"What do you want, assassin?" He said through clenched teeth.

"My dear Warden, it is not my intention to cause such anger. I merely want to know the sleeping arrangements. I do not have a tent," Zevran said and he looked at Azure up and down, admiration and lust in his eyes.

Azure's eyes narrowed. She walked right up to the blond elf and eyed him, but there was no lust in her eyes. When she spoke, her three words surprised Alistair, and made the elf take a step back.

"Spar with me."

Zevran smiled briefly when Alistair protested.

"Stay out of this, Alistair, I warn you," Azure said, her eyes glinting dangerously. She turned back to the elf.

"Well?" She said again and arched her eyebrows at him.

"I love a woman that knows what she wants," the elf chuckled. "You wish to spar with me? Very well. You will get your wish."

She led him out to a clearing away from the rest of the camp. Grateful that his sword and shield were still firmly on his back, Alistair followed. He was not going to let her out of his sight.

They stood in a defensive position, their daggers drawn, and started to circle each other. The Antivan started to dance and brought his daggers forward, which she caught with her own, pushing them back.

He smiled, and circled again, she did the same.

He attacked again, and she deftly jumped to the right and eluded his daggers bringing hers down sideways, grazing his armor.

They separated once more and eyed each other carefully, sizing each other up as they did so. She moved in closer and whirled around suddenly thrusting out her daggers. He turned to avoid them, and she hit him on his back with one of the hilts.

Then, just as he thought he saw a weakness, and lunged at her, she threw herself forward at the same time and brought her knee upon his groin, hitting him with all the strength she could muster.

He knelt over, as the pain hit him in waves.

She didn't stop, however. She took a gloved hand and pulled his hair, so that he was forced to look up and then hit him across the jaw. He fell backwards to the ground. She immediately flung herself at him straddling him firmly on his chest. She took away his daggers and threw them to the side, looking down at him fiercely, breathing heavily.

"If I ever," she said quietly, "hear your stupid innuendoes directed at me again, I'll hurt you...I'll hurt you badly."

She stood up, and looked down at him, disgust all over her pretty face and left.

Alistair stood there looking at him, and smiled.

"I take it you understand that you'll be sleeping alone tonight," he said. "But just to be perfectly clear...you will not try anything with her. Ever."

"You are going to hurt me too, yes?"

"No. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to kill you if you do."

Then he turned around and left him lying there as he followed her back to the camp.

Zevran laughed and stood up. Now that was a woman worth pursuing.

...

Alistair finally caught up with her, and she turned to face him suddenly, still upset over what had just happened.

"Now is not a good time, I'm sorry," she said angrily.

Aedan had returned from his hunt, and threw some dead rabbits on the ground. He saw Azure and Alistair and then Azure leaving him standing there, and he knew that there was trouble ahead.

Azure stood in front of Aedan, trembling from head to toes. "Why did you have to let him come along with us, Aedan?" She said, her loud voice clearly carrying across the camp. "You say you are my brother, but I don't see you protecting me ever. Alistair protects me more than you do. Can't you see that the assassin only wants to...to pleasure himself with other women? Can't you see that he is not to be trusted?"

Her voice got even louder.

"What does being a brother mean to you? All you care about is having your own way, and nothing else!"

The tears started then, and streamed down her flushed cheeks.

"I'm sorry I ever came with you, but I'm glad I don't remember! I'm glad I don't remember who I am because I don't want to remember that you and I are related at all!"

She left him then, and stormed into her tent.

...

Dinner was silent, everyone seemed to be glaring at Aedan at odd times, except for Morrigan who kept her distance as usual, and Zevran, who looked amused.

Azure was absent from dinner which was something that they all expected, and they could see that Aedan was visibly affected by everything, so they left him alone.

Alistair walked over to her tent and stood outside, a bowl of stew in his hand.

"Azure, I've brought you something to eat," he said hopefully and waited.

No answer.

"I have cheese here too!" Alistair exclaimed.

He heard her snort then, breaking the silence. He smiled.

"Come in," she said after a few moments.

Alistair stepped inside the tent and stopped, unsure of what to say next.

She was sitting on her bedroll, and was wearing breeches and a short tunic she had bought with some of her money. She looked sad and lost, and his heart went out to her.

"Can I sit down?" He asked shyly and she nodded.

He sat and handed her the bowl, then took the cheese he had brought and held it up for her to see.

She giggled.

"That's good to hear. You haven't laughed in a while," he said, a smile on his lips.

She smiled back at him. "You can have the cheese. I know how much you love it."

They fell into comfortable silence and the only sound that was heard was the sound the spoon made against the bowl.

When she had finished eating, she put the bowl aside, and sighed.

"I hate this. I hate not remembering. I hate other things too, things that keep coming back to haunt me," she said sadly.

He did not speak, but continued to look into her eyes, wanting to erase the pain in her.

"I'm sorry I'm like this. I'll tell you now what I couldn't tell you before, when we were interrupted. The only thing I remember was being in a wagon that was taking me somewhere. I was wearing a nightgown, and there was a man who was keeping watch over me. He looked like a soldier. My hands were tied behind my back, and my head hurt. The man was looking at me with lust. And when he saw that I was awake, he came to me and started to touch me. He wasn't gentle , and I struggled."

She winced at what she was seeing in her mind's eye, but continued. "While he was busy bruising me with his hands, I was working on the knots of the rope that tied me. The ropes cut into my wrists, and the blood seeped into the rope, and that loosened it. When he moved his face down between my legs, I was ready for him and brought my feet up and hit him hard on the face. He was knocked back, and at that moment, I was able to slip one of my hands out of the rope and I flung myself at him, and quickly put the rope around his neck. I started to strangle him and I used my knees to hit him in the groin. I would have succeeded but the wagon hit a hole in the road and we were flung to the back."

Alistair's breath hitched and there was anguish in his eyes. Anguish and pain.

Then, I saw his dagger and took it, and without thinking stabbed him. I stabbed and killed a man. I don't know if I had killed before but it felt good. I felt good after I did it. I dressed in his armor, and tied the breeches tightly because they kept falling off my waist.

"The wagon started to slow down, so before it stopped, I jumped out and ran through the forest. I ran for a long time until I couldn't run anymore, because I couldn't breathe.

"So now you know. Even though he didn't manage to finish what he was doing...even though I'm still a virgin...I still feel afraid. And I am not a coward! But I feel afraid because men are so strong and they can do that to a woman. They can take away self-confidence and are capable of making a woman fear. They are capable of making a woman feel that she will never feel safe again."

"You won't have to fear anything from anyone. I'll protect you. I'll make you feel safe again," he whispered.

"Thank you, Alistair. I needed to hear that," she said.

"And just so you know, you are not the only virgin around here," he said, blushing furiously.

For a moment she looked at him suspiciously, but then she saw that he was telling the truth. Her lips parted slightly and her eyes looked at him open wide in surprise.

"What? Is that so difficult to believe? I was raised in the Chantry after all. They told me that being intimate with a woman was a sin. They also said that after I did it I would be struck by lightning."

She burst out laughing at this. "Oh, sure, laugh at the Chantry virgin, why don't you?" He half-joked at her.

I'm sorry, Alistair, but surely you didn't believe that you would actually be struck by lightning, now did you?"

His blush deepened and spread to his neck. She stopped laughing. She suddenly knew that the young blushing man before her was special, and she was laughing at him. That was not something she wanted to do to him.

"Thank you for telling me, Alistair. It makes you special in my eyes, somehow," she said sincerely.

"Please don't be so angry at Aedan. He didn't mean to hurt you with his decision, I'm sure," he said.

"He heard the innuendos the elf was throwing at every woman in the party," she said darkly.

"He didn't stop to think about it, I'm sure."

"Yes, you said it, he didn't think about it. _That's_ what makes me angry."

...

Aedan saw them leave the tent and walked right up to them.

"Azure, I have to talk to you, please," he said contritely. "I'm really sorry. I didn't think about how my decision to have Zevran come along would affect you. If it makes you feel any better I've spoken to him. I can't stop him from throwing innuendos about, he is like that with everyone, but at least now he knows that there are people here that protect you."

Azure discovered something else that day and that was that she couldn't stay angry at Aedan, no matter what.

"It's fine, Aedan. Already forgiven. I will think of a way to make you pay, though," her eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Uh, oh," was all he could say.

She laughed and added, "There was something I had to tell you. The first time I saw Alistair with this armor on, I got the image of a tall, grey-haired man with blue eyes, who was looking at me. I knew he loved me and I loved him."

"By the Maker!" Aedan cried out, sweeping her up in his arms in a tight hug. "That was father! You remembered father! Thank the Maker!"

She smiled into his breastplate and hugged him back.


	9. What Are Little Girls Made Of?

**Thanks to Jinx1983 for her review! Awesome! :D **

**Bioware owns everything, of course...lol **

Chapter 9 - What Are Little Girls Made Of?

Zevran continued to flirt with all the women in the group, and they gradually got used to it, even Azure, who just rolled her eyes at him.

They were marching to Redcliffe, and stopped to camp the night before they arrived there.

Zevran had questioned Wynne about her bosom and decided at once that it was magical, something that brought a smile to the rest, and left Wynne red in the face sputtering at the assassin.

Leliana giggled all the time when Zevran was around her, and soon it became apparent to the rest that Leliana had a thing for Zevran, and the rest rolled _their_ eyes at this.

Alistair sat beside Azure at camp, and she smiled at him absent-mindedly, deep in her thoughts.

"I see you're deep in thought. Mind if I sit here?" he said, and she turned to him grinning.

"I feel an initiation is in order," she said coyly, as she nodded towards Zevran.

"Another hare?" He chuckled, his eyes twinkling as he sat beside her.

"You know me so well, it isn't fair," she said. "He'll be a challenge though, he's sneaky, being an assassin and all."

They both laughed and plotted like two children. Aedan was watching them from across the fire and it struck him that even though Alistair was twenty-two just like he was, he was unbelievably childish, especially when he was around Azure.

He smiled and thought it probably was because he was so innocent, and vowed to start teaching him a little about how to woo a woman properly soon. If he and his sister were to hook up, he didn't want his clumsiness to upset her, and if Alistair needed a few talks about the subject, he would be more than willing to do that.

Everyone in camp soon fell silent as Leliana started singing a song. She was a bard after all, and had a beautiful voice. Aedan was caught staring at her intensely, and blushed when Azure started to tease him mercilessly, Alistair laughing silently beside her.

"Oh, look! I see Morrigan!" Azure called out, and giggled when Aedan jumped and turned in the direction of Morrigan's tent. Her giggles turned to laughter when Aedan realized she was nowhere near where they were sitting and he glared at her.

"Well, I'm off to bathe, see you all soon!" She called out gaily.

Alistair watched her walk off, his eyes warm.

He turned to Aedan who was watching him, an amused expression on his face.

"Her birthday is coming up, you know," He said.

"Yes...I wonder what I could possibly give her. You have any ideas on that?" Alistair asked hopefully.

"She hates jewelry and girly things," he replied.

"I gathered as much," Alistair said with a grin.

"Bodhan has a set of dragonbone daggers. That would be a great gift. They _are_ a bit expensive. Maybe if you gave me half, we could each give her one dagger," Aedan said.

"That is a splendid idea!" Alistair said, his face lit up as he beamed at his friend.

Aedan laughed. "Truly Alistair, you wooing my sister is turning into a kind of headache for you at times, isn't it?"

"Well, yes...at times. I don't know how to...well, I haven't even held her hand yet," he said miserably. "I'm taking my time, and I don't want to frighten her, with all that she's been through..."

He nodded, grateful that it was Alistair who was wooing his sister and knowing that his concern and patience as well as his gentlemanly attitude was just the thing that Azure needed.

"You need to go really slowly. Holding her hand would be the first step. Do you have any experience at kissing at all?"

Alistair blushed. "Not particularly, no..."

"Well, that's good. You both can figure that one out. Though you surely must know that a passionate kiss involves the tongue, right?"

"Yes, I...well, I did live with my brothers for six months before Ostagar and they did explain some things to me," he stammered out. Aedan could see he was uncomfortable, and he smiled.

"Well, we'll have to talk about sex some time. I can tell you how to really pleasure a woman, and take it really slowly. Give you some advice about it...what? Oh! Surely you're not uncomfortable with this talk?" Aedan said, beginning to show signs of exasperation at Alistair's blushing and fidgeting.

"Um...well, I am actually. It's not a subject that I'm very comfortable with, being raised in the Chantry and all, you know."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it. Because sex is something natural, and it's something that can be very beautiful, especially if you do it with someone you love. But enough of that for now. I don't want to embarrass you any further," he smiled.

"Thank the Maker for that!" Alistair exclaimed.

...

They were surprised when they got to Redcliffe, because the village was under attack. Undead would come at night, kill the villagers, and take their bodies.

They met with Bann Teagan, the Arl's brother and learned about their efforts, which had so far been in vain. Aedan promised his aid at once.

Teagan was surprised to see Alistair, but even more surprised when he learned that Aedan was a Cousland and that his younger sister was in the group as well. Aedan did not offer any other explanation to Teagan and concentrated on getting the villagers ready for the night and his group ready for the attack as well.

Azure was tingling with anticipation at the thought of fighting undead. Alistair smiled as he saw her eagerness and could not resist teasing her about it.

She stuck out her tongue at him in the end, and he found his eyes fixed on it, and wet his lips unconsciously as the thought of capturing that tongue with his mouth entered his mind.

He blushed.

"You seem to do a lot of blushing, Alistair, and it's cute," Azure grinned.

"You think I'm cute?" Alistair said, rolling his eyes.

"No," she shook her head solemnly. "I think you're really handsome."

She clapped a hand over her mouth, and this time it was she who was blushing furiously.

Alistair smiled at her, and felt a rush of tenderness and elation so powerful, that his head started to swim.

"You think I'm handsome?" He said, giving her a lopsided grin, one of his eyebrows raised as his eyes twinkled at her.

Her eyes twinkled back. "My lips are sealed," she flirted and moved away to keep up with Aedan, who was now talking to Ser Perth.

...

While they waited for the sun to come down, she sat on the grass and stared at the view. Alistair sat beside her.

"I lived here, you know," he announced.

"Yes, Aedan told me you lived here as a boy. They sent you away, that's horrible," she said.

"Well, I don't know. The arlessa resented me, she thought I was Eamon's bastard."

"So you know who your real father was?"

"Yes. He, um, he was King Maric," he looked down at his boots, waiting for her outburst.

"Why didn't you tell me this before? Do you realize that you are possibly the heir to the throne, now that the king is dead?" She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Maker's breath! Stop saying that, or I'll probably pass out if you carry on," he whispered and she could see that he meant it.

"I take it you don't want to be king, then?"

"No! I'm a Grey Warden, and I wouldn't know anything about being king. It's something that frightens me, you have no idea how much! I'm _no_ leader. I can't make decisions. If I ever led this small party of ours, I'm betting we'd get lost, or I would end up somewhere without any pants."

She giggled at this, and he smiled.

"You're good and kind, I think those would be the best qualities a king should have," she said softly, turning her face up to his, and looking into his eyes.

He sat there, feeling the warmth in her eyes, and she leaned slightly towards him. His leaned closer too, his eyes falling on her lips, which looked so inviting, so tantalizing, so-

"Ah, my dear Grey Warden," Zevran's voice interrupted, and Alistair had to stop himself from standing up and hitting him then and there.

"What do you want Zevran?" He scowled, and Zevran's grin deepened. "Aedan wanted me to tell you that he needs to have a word with you about the battle. The sun is setting and we should take our places."

"Right," Alistair nodded and stood up, offering a hand out to Azure. Zevran left them, smirking visibly.

Azure took the hand and stood up, but she did not withdraw her hand afterwards, nor did Alistair do anything to withdraw his. She felt a tingling sensation that pleased her, and she smiled up to him.

"Well, show time! Let's get ready to kill some undead." She giggled at the sentence she had just said.

He smiled down at her, his heart beating so loudly that he thought that she could hear it for sure.

She did something completely unexpected then. Something that made his heart soar and his head swim. Standing on her toes-for he was a head taller than she- she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

Then she blushed, and was gone.

...

The whole battle was long and lasted all night.

Aedan and all his companions fought the undead and protected the villagers with their lives. At one point during the battle, Alistair lost Azure, and his eyes searched frantically for her amongst the villagers and undead.

They were clearly nearing the end of the battle now, as the last of the undead charged at them before the Chantry. Alistair bashed into one and severed another's head as he continued to look for signs of Azure, now truly worried.

The battle ended, and the villagers cheered. Murdoch, the mayor, still remained standing and it was a very happy Teagan who addressed the villagers that morning, singing praises at Aedan and his companions for their victory.

Once his speech was over, he told them that he wanted a word with them, and urged them to get something to eat and some rest first.

"Where is Azure? I cannot find her anywhere!" Alistair asked Aedan worriedly, who smiled. "Calm down, Alistair and come with me. I want to show you something. Don't say anything and try to be quiet..." They stepped into the Chantry and found the children sitting around in a circle and Azure in the middle, telling them a story, making them laugh with excitement and hanging on to her words as they regarded her with round eyes, completely enchanted with her.

"She slipped in here when the battle was at its worse, hoping to distract the children from their fears, and the sounds of the battle raging outside. She told me what she wanted to do before she left. Isn't she wonderful? Look at the children! They probably stopped listening to the battle outside soon after she started her story telling. They only have eyes for her, just look at how happy they are!" Aedan whispered, feeling proud of his sister.

At that moment Alistair knew that the children were not the only ones who were enraptured by Azure. He knew that his heart had been captured as well. Free no longer, his heart would be a prisoner from now on. And quite frankly, he didn't mind one bit.

Azure noticed Aedan and Alistair standing there and she looked straight at them, and smiled.

And Alistair thought that he had never seen anything so beautiful before in his entire life.

...

They were standing before Isolde and Teagan, debating on what to do to save Connor who was possessed by a demon. It was the demon inside Connor who was responsible for bringing the dead back to life and attacking the villagers.

Azure rolled her eyes at Isolde, feeling a growing dislike at the woman who constantly whined. From what she could gather, Isolde was the one who was to blame for all this. If she hadn't kept her son's magical abilities from the arl, or hired a mage to tutor him in secret, none of this would have happened.

Isolde was now asking Teagan to bring the mage Aedan and the others had found down in the dungeons into the main hall. Azure had no idea what they were talking about because she had not been with them when they walked through the dungeons, she had only just joined them when they had opened the gates.

Azure blinked at Jowan as she recognized him and Jowan did a double take.

"You! Aedan! This mage is the one that saved me from the wolves! What are you doing here?" She demanded, her eyes wide with surprise.

Alistair now did the double take. If Jowan had helped her, then he was not as bad as he thought he was. And for him to admit that to himself was clearly something.

"You know this man?" Teagan gaped at her, and she nodded.

"I was running away from some soldiers and he saved my life! Why have you been keeping him in the dungeons?"

"He's the one that summoned the demon!" Isolde cried out.

"Please, Lady Isolde, I didn't summon any demon, I swear! But I did poison the arl, and I'm truly sorry I did. That was what started all this..."

"You poisoned the Arl, Jowan? Why would you do something like that?" Azure asked properly horrified that he would do such a thing.

"Because Loghain ordered me to do it," Jowan bowed his head.

"I'll tell you everything later, Azure. For now we must decide what to do and quickly," Aedan interrupted, and she nodded after a while, still staring at Jowan in disbelief.

Jowan told them the best thing to do was to perform blood magic, a ritual to send a mage into the Fade and battle the demon. Azure heard Alistair protesting violently against this.

More discussion ensued and Aedan finally told them that they would have to leave for the circle tower to get lyrium and more mages in order to send someone into the Fade, while he glanced sideways at Morrigan, who nodded briefly at him.

Azure sighed and stepped away, hoping to disappear unnoticed. There was no way she was going back to the circle tower if she could help it, she had enough bad memories of the place. She was still a bit confused at Jowan's involvement in all this too. She knew that the man who rescued her was not evil.

Unknowingly, she stepped into another area of the castle and the suits of armor came to life and rushed forward to attack her. She barely had time to draw her daggers and defend herself hacking at the one nearest, before the rest heard her and rushed in to help her fight them.

Once the fight was over, Alistair ran to her side to make sure she was all right. She smiled and turned to Aedan.

"Aedan, there is no way I'm going back to that tower," she said resolutely.

He nodded. "There is no reason why you should go. Alistair, would you come with me? The rest can stay and make sure that nothing happens while we are away."

Alistair didn't want to leave her, knowing that there was a risk, but he agreed reluctantly.

Before he left, he stood in front of her. "Azure, promise me you won't fling yourself into danger unnecessarily while I'm gone."

She giggled at this, but nodded all the same. His concern touched her deeply.

"You know you shouldn't worry, but I promise all the same," she said and smiled at him.

"Take care," he whispered. He took one of his gauntlets off, and touched her cheek gently.

She felt the sparks and the warmth his hand gave off and trembled slightly, but composed herself and grinned.

"Don't worry, Alistair, I'll be fine, now off with you. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll return."

He smiled at her once again, looking at her tenderly, and put his gauntlet back on. Then he was gone.

**A/N: Awww, isn't Alistair too sweet for words? *sighs* :D **


	10. What Are Little Boys Made Of?

**Thank you Jinx1983 for your review! I'm still enjoying the cookies, hehe :D **

**And yes, Bioware STILL owns...sigh...**

Chapter 10 - What Are Little Boys Made Of?

Zevran watched as the two Grey Wardens left, mindful that Azure was finally alone, and Alistair was nowhere in sight to stop him from getting near her. Just the sort of thing he needed in order to make her acquaintance and probably get her to notice him.

Leliana had been flirting openly with him, but since he was used to that kind of behavior from most of the women he encountered, he did not feel particularly interested in her. He did, however, welcome the challenge that Azure posed.

He made his way to the place where he thought he would find her. The suits of armor lay wrecked at his feet, but she was not there. Staring straight ahead, he could make out her figure sitting at a desk, looking at something.

He smiled and advanced silently, catlike in his walk, his footsteps making no noise whatsoever on the thin carpet.

She held something in her hands, and was looking at it with profound interest, so he had a chance to study her pretty face before he spoke.

"Care for some company, my dear girl?" His voice purred.

She jumped and put what she was holding into her pocket, flushing a nice pink color as she did so. Her cute upturned nose with the sprinkle of freckles taunted him and he found himself wishing he could kiss each and every freckle on her face.

"Ah, Zevran. I didn't notice you coming in. Is there anything wrong? Am I needed in the main hall?"

"No, no, no. I was merely wondering if we could get to know each other better," he smirked.

She stiffened considerably at this, but smiled nevertheless. "Well, what would give you that impression? I, on the other hand, have no desire whatsoever to get to know you better."

"Ah, you wound me, dear lady," he said in deeply affected tones.

She tilted her head to one side as she studied him, and he was fascinated at this. Then, making up her mind, she stood and murmured she had to go to the main hall, and swept past him.

He caught her arm as she was walking by, and she stopped, looking down at his hand. A frown appeared on her lips when she shook his hand off violently.

"Don't you dare touch me," she said quietly, but Zevran saw the fear in her eyes, and was taken aback.

Something nasty had clearly happened to this girl. With all the experience he had, he knew what that fear in her eyes meant. This girl had clearly been through an unpleasant experience with a man in the past. His eyes widened and all the pieces fell into place. Why hadn't he seen this before?

He let go of her hand immediately, an apology on his lips as she walked off to the main hall.

He would have to change his tactic if he was to be successful.

...

Alistair took the rose out of his pack and looked at it thoughtfully as they crossed the lake to the tower. He had his back to Aedan, which is why he chanced looking at it.

The rose reminded him of her, it was something so beautiful, that had grown in a place where there was so much darkness and despair, strong even though its petals were so soft. He smiled when he looked at the thorns.

Yes, it was exactly like her.

Aedan had been looking over his shoulder. "What have you got there?"

Alistair groaned and put the rose back into his pack gently. "Nothing," he murmured.

"Was that a rose?" Aedan's voice sounded constrained, as if he was keeping his laughter in check.

"Shut up," Alistair growled.

"Dear me! What did I do to deserve that, now?" Aedan said sounding hurt, but Alistair was not fooled so easily. He knew that what he wanted to do was tease him, and he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"I- don't know what you're talking about," Alistair said quickly.

"You, my friend, are a terrible liar. Did you know that?" Aedan chuckled. Then, in a more serious tone he added, "I think she would love that rose, actually."

Alistair turned around quickly and faced him, hope in his eyes. "Really?"

Aedan nodded, keeping his laughter at bay. "Oh, yes! Women like those things, you know..."

"Well, she isn't like any other woman, so I'm hesitant to give it to her," Alistair said slowly.

"Nonsense," Aedan shot back. "Even if she is all 'stab, stabbity- kill, kill', I'm sure she'll love it."

"You think so?" The hope in his eyes grew.

"Yes, of course," Aedan said solemnly. "It all depends on what you tell her, though. If you don't tell her anything and just hand it over, she might not react the way she should, you know..."

"I- hadn't thought about that..." he said miserably. "My mouth usually says stupid things."

"So I noticed," Aedan teased.

"Hey!" Alistair protested.

Aedan chuckled at this. "Just be yourself, Alistair. Tell her what the rose means to you...what _she_ means to you. I'm sure she'll appreciate your sincerity."

"Yes, I'll do just that," he answered, a dreamy look in his eyes.

They landed and made their way up to the tower and Aedan couldn't resist.

"Of course, if you put on a dress, and danced the Remigold while giving her the rose, now _that_ would certainly impress her."

"Why you-" Alistair began, and Aedan ran off, laughing heartily, reaching the tower doors before him.

...

Zevran devoted the rest of his attention to Leliana, which pleased her tremendously. While she wasn't looking, he stole glances at Azure from time to time.

She was talking to the mage, Jowan, with a worried expression on her face.

Leliana had asked him a question. He frowned, caught completely off guard. He hadn't been listening to a word of what she was saying.

He did what he was best at doing. He deflected it with another question.

"What do you say we go into another room to get ah...more acquainted?"

Leliana giggled and agreed. He took her hand and he led her to the side, where the suits of armor lay. On his left, he saw a door which was closed. Hoping that the room contained a bed at least, he opened it.

Undead rushed at him and Leliana, and he whipped out his daggers, while Leliana immediately began to shoot arrows at them.

The scuffle brought the knights and the rest over, and they hacked through the undead rather quickly.

Zevran stood there when it was over, feeling slightly miffed.

This castle was proving to be more of a damper than Alistair or Aedan combined.

...

Aedan and Alistair arrived the next day, with the First Enchanter Irving and a couple of mages in tow.

Azure's eyes lit up when she saw him and he walked over to stand by her, while the mages performed the ritual that would take Morrigan into the Fade to defeat the demon.

He took off his gauntlet, and shyly took her hand in his.

She was surprised, but he saw that she was pleased, and his heart beat wildly all the time he held her hand.

They smiled at each other, oblivious to what was happening around them at that moment.

...

When Morrigan came to, and announced the demon had been slain, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Isolde at once rushed to her son's side, without even thanking the people there.

Teagan made excuses for her and thanked the First Enchanter and Morrigan profusely. Morrigan nodded coldly at him and the First Enchanter smiled kindly.

"We must send our dead off to the Maker," Teagan said mournfully. "I'll arrange everything. In the meantime, might I convince you to stay in the castle and rest?"

Aedan declined the invitation graciously, telling him that they would have to be off soon, as they had a lot of work to do.

"Of course. I understand. But please make yourselves comfortable in the meantime. There is plenty of food in the kitchen." He turned to Irving then. "First Enchanter, are you sure you don't want anything to eat or drink?"

Irving refused politely and left with the other mages.

Once the First Enchanter was gone, Azure grinned at something she was thinking. She was very hungry at the moment and turned to whisper to Alistair. "Race you to the larder!"

And she was off.

...

It turned out that she beat him, being small and fast helped her.

They arrived out of breath and a giggle escaped her lips when she saw him leaning over, gasping for breath.

"You, are a...cruel...cruel...person," he said in between gasps.

"Yet here you are, by my side," she smiled.

He straightened up and crossed the room to where she was standing. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he said, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

She blushed then, and looked down. "Oh, look!" She exclaimed. "Cheese!"

He chuckled. "Yes, I can see that. There are several different wheels in fact. Wow! Did I die and go to heaven?"

She laughed. "Spoken by a true cheese lover," she said.

Alistair carried two chairs and placed them in front of the table where all the cheese was. He smiled as they sat down and began to eat. He would taste a piece of cheese, inform her what kind it was, and offer a bit to her.

Aedan and the rest found them like this, and they rolled their eyes.

"Leave enough for the rest of us, will you?" Aedan complained, and they chuckled.

They soon were tearing into loaves of bread and sweet pastries as well. Alistair found some baked fish, but refrained from eating it when he saw Azure wrinkle her nose. They drank some wine as well, to wash the food down.

Teagan found them eating and smiled. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the arrangements have been made. If you would kindly join us at the dock, we'd like to say some prayers to send our dead to the Maker."

They followed Teagan out and stood silently as the people there put their dead in row boats and pushed the boats into the lake. From the shore, archers aimed fire arrows at the boats. Soon the lake was sprinkled with boats in flames.

Mother Hannah said a prayer for them as the boats continued their journey into the lake.

Once the service was over, they made their way back to the castle. Some of the villagers went with Teagan offering their services to help clean up the castle as well.

They stood in Eamon's room and were saddened by the fact that he was still clearly in a comatose state.

"The urn!" Isolde cried out. "The urn of sacred ashes will save Eamon! I know it will!"

"I will seek this urn and find it," Aedan promised. Azure groaned inwardly. Weren't they supposed to be focusing on gathering aid for the Blight?

"Find the scholar in Denerim, Brother Genitivi. The knights that I sent were unsuccessful but maybe the Maker will guide your steps."

"Thank you for all you've done for us," Teagan added. "I must go to the main hall and start with the rebuilding, if you will excuse me."

"Thank you so much for everything," Isolde murmured and turned back to her husband.

They left the castle then, and set out to Denerim.


	11. The Truth Hurts Sometimes

**I want to thank Jinx1983 for the review and cookies! LOL! **

**Thanks to all who favored this fic, and to those who have added this story to your alerts as well! :D **

**This chapter is long, but I wanted to cram in events that have to do with the title, and so here they are.**

**Please read and review; your reviews are an inspiration to me :) **

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 11 - The Truth Hurts Sometimes

_I'll give her the rose...before we get to Denerim..._

They were walking side by side. Alistair would turn to look at her every now and then, and she would smile her small smile at him but continue to look straight ahead.

_No, wait. It's her birthday in two days. I can give her the rose then. _

The turmoil in Alistair was causing mayhem on his nerves. The truth was that he didn't want to scare Azure away, but he wanted to let her know how dear she had become to him.

Aedan was walking in front of them. He had had some kind of discussion with Wynne, and his shoulders were squared. He was walking angrily. Alistair wanted to ask him what the whole discussion with Wynne had been. He'd refrained from doing so because he didn't want to be snarled at.

_Did being a Cousland mean having a bad temper? _

Morrigan stepped up a little, reaching Aedan in the front.

Alistair saw Aedan acknowledge her with a slight nod, but he did not turn and smile as he usually did.

That was bad.

What Wynne had told him must have been really offensive to have affected him that way.

He frowned, deep in thought. He liked Wynne, she was grandmotherly and her bantering was witty and funny. Of course, it was almost always directed at him. He squinted at the now setting sun and thought that maybe she did have a few thorns after all.

Aedan turned to survey a spot in the forest, asking the rest to wait for him. He returned shortly after and told them they would set up camp further in for the night. They followed him into the spot he had chosen, and went through their various tasks. Alistair busied himself with his tent, then walked over to Azure, who by now always sat on the ground whenever they camped, waiting for him to put up her tent. She smiled at him and for a moment, her smile dazzled him and he nearly forgot what he was doing.

He fumbled with the canvas, and managed to secure it tightly. He was done in a few minutes.

"I'll-uh-come back later. I have to put mine up."

"I'll be sitting next to Aedan."

Alistair nodded and watched her move to where Aedan was. His eyes fell on her behind automatically and he remembered Wynne's teasing earlier and blushed furiously. Tearing his eyes away, he went to where his pack was and busied himself with his tent.

Sten loomed up in front of him when he was done. He blinked up at Sten wondering what was up. He didn't like the quiet Qunari, who was so silent, in spite of his size.

"Hey, Sten. Can I do anything for you?"

"Why are we heading east? Where is the archdemon?" Sten demanded.

Alistair groaned inwardly. He tried a feeble attempt at laughing, but his laughter died when he saw Sten's glare.

"Ah...well, yes. You have a point there," he said nervously. "The thing is that we need Arl Eamon's help for the Blight. So we have to find the Ashes of Andraste."

"What do the ashes of a dead woman have to do with the Archdemon?" Sten continued to glare.

"The arl is ill. If he is given the ashes, then he'll be cured, and we'll have the support of his soldiers to help us battle the Blight," Alistair answered. The answer rolled off his tongue easily, as if he had practiced it.

Sten's reply to this was to turn around and leave to set up his own tent. Apparently that reply had satisfied him for the time being. It did leave Alistair wondering however. The Blight was nearly upon them, and here they were, looking for clues to find an urn which could be a legend and not exist.

He finished setting up his tent and walked towards the fire, which was now burning. Aedan was sitting in front of it, and Azure was next to him. She was looking at it, and heard Alistair coming, so she smiled up at him.

He felt his heart give a leap and smiled back, sitting beside her.

"Sten is jumpy, Aedan," Alistair said, while Aedan set the pot next to the fire.

"So? Either he comes with us, or he leaves," Aedan replied curtly.

Azure made a silent gesture to Alistair which clearly indicated that she thought Aedan was crazy.

Alistair grinned.

Aedan turned to look and Azure looked back innocently. Alistair let out a laugh which turned into a cough.

"Look, I'm not in the best of moods right now. We'd better get dinner started. I'm going off to hunt."

"Need any help?" Alistair offered.

"No, don't worry about it. I'm going with Leliana," came the reply, which surprised Alistair.

After Aedan had left, he found himself alone with Azure and he fidgeted nervously.

_Give her the rose, now, you idiot. _The voice in his head ordered.

His hand went to his pocket, and stopped. He remembered that the rose was in his pack, a few feet away and looked back at Azure, his eyes falling automatically on her twinkling eyes.

"I, um, have a few things to do. But I'll be right back!" He said and ran off to the tent, pausing only to look for the rose, retrieve it, and take his gauntlets off, before he crushed it in his hands. He paused, setting the rose aside for a few moments, and then took the armor off as well, and put a tunic over his breeches. Then he turned to pick it back up, looking at it as he did.

The rose was still alive, unreal as it seemed. It sat in his palm for a few moments, a testimony of stubbornness, in its refusal to die. He smiled at the thought and stashed it gently in his pocket.

He walked to where Azure was and sat down beside her again.

They didn't talk for a while, and their silence was not uncomfortable, but Alistair was getting nervous and fidgeted.

He wasn't looking at her, because if he did, he would forget everything he wanted to say to her and just gawk like an idiot.

So, without further preamble, he asked her to hold out her hand.

She did as he asked, looking up at him curiously.

He hastily put the rose in her hand, and waited, gathering up his courage as he did.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked without thinking.

_You are such an idiot. _The voice in his head sounded like it was rolling its eyes at him.

"Is that a trick question?" She shot back quickly, her eyes now sparkling, the mirth in them was contagious.

"Yes!" He said, suddenly feeling witty and clever. "Did I trick you? Aww, I just about had you, didn't I?"

_Are you a moron? _The voice disagreed.

"You think?" She replied coyly, the mirth in her eyes was growing.

He decided to go directly into the whole speech he had prepared.

"I picked it in Lothering. I was thinking: 'How can something so beautiful exist in a place with so much despair and darkness.' And I've had it ever since."

She put the rose to her nose and smelled it, lowering her long eyelashes as she did so.

He faltered. Just for the teeniest of moments he forgot everything, as he stared at her eyelashes, her face, the faint blush that was starting in her cheeks.

_Wake up you idiot! Stop gawking! _The voice shattered through his brain, jolting him awake.

"And what do you intend to do with it?" Her question was soft, and so low, he barely caught it.

"I thought that I might give it to you, actually. I think the same thing, whenever I look at you."

Her lips parted in surprise, and she looked up rather quickly her eyes wide at what he had just said.

And then, Alistair stopped thinking. He leaned forward, and inched his face to hers very slowly. She leaned forward at the same time, and met him halfway. Her sweet breath reached his nostrils and made his head swim slightly, and he pressed his lips on hers in a chaste kiss.

She froze for the tiniest of seconds, and he was about to withdraw, when she suddenly put her hands up, and they lightly fell around his neck. Before he knew it, she was kissing him back.

The sensations that enveloped him startled him because of their intensity. He breathed in her scent, his hands caressing her shoulders lightly, and he felt he was drowning in her.

They broke away from each other, and her eyes looked like stars.

"Thank you for the rose, Alistair. It's a wonderful gift." She murmured.

He forced the lust away and concentrated instead on the pureness of her eyes, which dazzled him. He smiled and whispered, too scared to speak loudly lest he ruin the moment completely.

"I'm glad you like it. Nobody has told you how special you are. So, I thought I'd give this to you and let you know what a wonderful thing it is to find you here, amidst all this darkness..."

She brought her lips to his again, and kissed him, cutting off his sentence completely. His arms went around her, and he kissed her back.

_No tongue, no tongue, no tongue. _The voice chanted in his head.

But her lips parted again, and his tongue slowly advanced and stopped at the entrance, too shy to continue. And hers suddenly grazed his, and then after a few seconds, returned and their tongues met again.

They were kissing like this, when Aedan arrived and threw the hares down, the noise interrupting them.

They broke away, out of breath and confused, still holding each other.

"I see you are both busy. Try not to let _**Wynne**_ catch you doing that," he said, his voice angry. Then, without another word, he took out his dagger and started skinning the hares.

Alistair turned to Azure, a puzzled look on his face and she just shrugged, then giggled softly. He grinned at this and winked at her.

She flushed and lowered her lashes at him, and he leaned over, his lips parted and his breath tickled her ear which caused her to giggle again.

What he said, however, made her take a sharp intake of breath, completely misunderstanding his intention.

"Maker's breath, but you're beautiful. I am a lucky man."

She stood up then, confusion on her face, and he stood up, his hands on her shoulders again.

"Azure, slow down. Hey..."

"Alistair-"

"No," he whispered. "I won't do anything to hurt you. You know this. Shh...calm down."

She relaxed for a bit, but still shied away from him and excused herself.

"I'll be back later. I have to clean up before dinner," she said, her eyes down. Then she left.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _The voice was now chanting.

"Way to go, lover boy. You managed to scare her after all," came Aedan's dry remark.

And Alistair sat down groaning, his head in his hands, where it stayed for a while.

...

Aedan felt sorry for him after a while. His temper had finally abated.

He sat down next to Alistair and cleared his throat.

"It's something to expect. You know what she's been through. What was the last thing you said to her?"

He brought his face up to look at him and told him.

Aedan pursed his lips. "Well no wonder. That could be taken as a heck of a sexy comment."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't, but she might have taken it the wrong way. And judging by her reaction, she probably did. Look, you have to go really slowly, that kiss was passionate, it didn't look like you were going slowly."

"I- oh...she kissed me back, and it just happened. Our lips parted and, we both, um, used our tongues." He was now blushing deeply.

"Spare me the details," Aedan said dryly. "I don't think I can take it, not now. But I do want to ask you again, just in case. What are your intentions? What are you going to do, if it does get heated, and you do take the next step and she wants you? Are you going to bed her? She's my sister, after all, and I must know."

"Aedan, this is new to me...all of this. But I want you to know one thing, I'm not going to woo her because I want to have sex with her. I want to be with her always. If I give her my heart, it will be forever. And I think she already owns my heart," he said miserably. "Maker! What do I do? How do I get her to understand that I will never hurt her?"

"You have to earn her trust, Alistair. You have to go very slowly." He paused. "I'm not my older brother. He would have challenged you to a duel for finding you and Azure kissing. He was very overprotective."

Aedan stopped, clearly thinking about his older brother for the moment. He gave himself a shake.

"I'm not telling you that it is all right to have sex with her. No brother in his right mind would approve of that, especially because you two are not wed. But I'm not exactly a role model either. I enjoy sex, and to me it's not necessarily an indication that two people love each other. I just take it for the pleasure most of the times."

Alistair started to talk, but Aedan held up his hand and he fell silent.

"But you, on the other hand," he sighed. "I'm a pretty good judge of character. And I know that you would never have sex if you didn't love the person with your whole heart. So I just want you to promise me that if you do have sex with her in the future, you will make it right and marry her."

Alistair nodded and added. "If I do..._that_...I don't think I would do it with anyone else either. I think marrying her is on the top of my list anyway."

Aedan rolled his eyes, but smiled kindly at him nevertheless. "Marriage would never be on the top of _my_ list," he said, keeping his laughter under check. "But then again, I'm hot-headed and **I **was not raised in the Chantry."

He burst out laughing after this, and Alistair found himself smiling, in spite of Aedan's jab at his innocence.

...

The next day, Aedan gathered everyone as soon as Azure had left for the nearby spring to bathe.

"All right, everyone. It's my sister's birthday tomorrow. So we should plan what we'll do to celebrate it."

"We have already planned this. Why do we have to discuss it again?" Morrigan commented, a sour expression on her face.

"If you don't want to be here when we celebrate her birthday, that's fine by me, Morrigan," Aedan snarled.

She gave a curt nod and walked off to her tent, swaying her hips at him defiantly nevertheless.

Aedan composed himself and looked back at the group. "All right, now that we are all agreeing-"

"What does this have to do with the Archdemon?" Sten's voice boomed, interrupting him.

"Sten, we've been through this before," Aedan said painfully as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Will there be cake?" Sten asked unexpectedly.

Aedan stared. Then he lied. "Yes, there will...there will be a nice chocolate cake."

Sten nodded. Evidently, the giant had a sweet tooth. Nobody understood where Aedan would get cake from, as they were nowhere near Denerim.

Both Leliana and Wynne said they already had gifts for her, and Aedan smiled as he glanced at Alistair, who was grinning.

He launched into the details again, wanting everything to be as perfect as possible.

They listened patiently and nodded at the right times, but they were really bored out of their minds.

...

Of course, when the next day rolled around, Azure, who still didn't have her memory back, did not know it was her birthday.

She went to the spring to wash her face and walked back to the camp, a spring in her step.

Alistair met her just outside the camp, and smiled at her. Ever since the rose incident, he was cautious about what he said to her and how he acted in front of her. Azure soon found herself relaxing in his company again, and had started flirting with him, something that always made him fidget and blush furiously.

"Good morning, how are you doing today?" Alistair said.

"I'm fine. Did you sleep well?" She asked pleasantly.

"Oh, yes, no darkspawn nightmares, so far."

"I wonder why we haven't encountered any darkspawn yet. I've never seen one," she added thoughtfully.

"And thank the Maker for that! I hope you never do," he added quietly.

"They're that bad, huh?"

"Oh, yes. Trust me, they're something you'd never want to find, or fight."

The rest of the group was standing around when they arrived. Aedan was staring at them all. Morrigan was there, surprisingly, and that made Azure suspicious. Were they having a meeting?

She looked at them, and wondered why they were all standing there, doing nothing but stealing glances at Aedan.

As if on cue and following an invisible order, they all broke into a yell.

"Happy Birthday, Azure!"

She looked completely astonished. "It's my birthday today?" She asked dumbly, and Alistair nodded back at her, a huge smile plastered on his face.

They all sat around the fire then, and gave her their gifts and Azure grinned as she received them one at a time, thanking each of them for being so thoughtful, though she did laugh out loud at Leliana's gift when she saw it was a set of matching ribbons for her hair.

When she saw Aedan's and Alistair's, her eyes opened wide. Each of them had given her a dagger made of dragonbone. She jumped up and ran to Aedan, and hugged him tightly, turning to Alistair and hugging him as well.

Alistair hugged her back and broke away, but then acting on an impulse, she planted a soft kiss on his lips before she went back to where she was sitting.

Everyone there saw it, and they looked a bit surprised. Leliana stood up and started singing and playing her lute.

Sten was standing near Aedan and Alistair, and when the song ended, he literally growled at Aedan.

"Where is the cake? There is no cake! The cake is a lie!"

He turned and went back to patrolling the camp perimeter, and as soon as he had gone, both Aedan and Alistair burst out laughing, followed by the rest.

...

Breakfast was over and the celebration dwindled down. Alistair stood up, and made a move to pick up the dishes. He had promised Aedan he would do the cleaning up afterwards.

She found him at the spring, where he was busy stacking the now clean plates carefully.

"I want to talk to you, Alistair, if you have a moment," she said quietly.

He nearly dropped one of the plates then, but he managed to set it carefully on top of the others.

"Yes?" He asked, his heart thumping loudly in his chest.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I reacted like I did the other day...it's just that...I- well, I'm kind of scared..." she whispered, looking downwards.

"I know this, and I understand, you've done nothing wrong, Azure. Please don't worry about it," he said looking at her warmly.

He lifted her chin then, and her eyes looked deeply into his.

"I'm still sorry. I think you deserve someone better than me..." she said.

"Better than you?" He echoed her words, frowning slightly.

"Yes. I'm a complicated person, Alistair. I don't know if I'll ever trust anyone enough to get close to me. I don't have a memory, and I'm kind of broken," her voice shook and there were tears in her eyes.

"Then I'll give you memories. Good ones. And I'll pick up the pieces and put you back together again," he said softly, his amber eyes warm. His hands went up to her shoulders, where they lay, softly caressing.

She gave a sob then and hugged him tightly, crying on his tunic, wishing she could remember who she was, wishing that nothing had ever happened. This man was so wonderful! And he didn't care about her past, he was patient and kind and good. And he was devoted to her. All this truly made her happy and she realized that she cared for him deeply.

He held her closely, his hands on her back, soft and light, as if she were made of crystal.

She continued to cry quietly, and one of his arms left her back, and was suddenly on her chin, as it lifted her face to his.

"Azure, I want to take the pain away. You can trust me. I won't hurt you ever, I promise."

And then he kissed her.

She stood for a moment, unable to react, but then she threw her arms around his neck and her fingers found his hair. She kissed him back and suddenly their lips parted at the same time, and their tongues sought each other's and she thought she would burst from the emotions that were quickly enveloping her.

She felt a tingling sensation start at the pit of her stomach, her knees started shaking. Their kiss deepened, and Alistair groaned into her mouth. She felt a new sensation under her navel that pleased her. It surprised her, and she broke away, breathing heavily.

"It's all right. I won't kiss you again if you don't want me to, I'll do anything you want. I promise, " he whispered and took her hands in his, his thumbs caressing them gently in a circular motion.

She smiled and it dazzled him. His breath hitched and his lips parted. Her brilliant green eyes still shone because of her tears, but she smiled.

"Thank you Alistair," she said.

"What for, my dear?" He asked tenderly.

"For being you," she said simply. And she turned and walked back to the camp.

...

They went shopping in Denerim after they had accepted some jobs posted on the Chantry board.

Aedan was keeping an eye out for the whereabouts of Brother Genitivi, but after a couple of hours of asking around he arrived at the conclusion that either the people were lying and keeping the truth from him, or the good brother was gone.

Leliana offered to look for him saying that she could use her arts to find him, whatever that meant. Aedan agreed and turned to Alistair.

"I think we should split up, and meet here later."

"Actually there's a favor I wanted to ask you. Um...you remember Goldanna, right?"

"Yes. Does she live here?"

Alistair nodded. "I was wondering if you could come with me...you know. Moral support and all..."

"Of course, Alistair, I would be happy to," Aedan said. Azure smiled at Aedan and added that she would come along also.

The three walked around the market square and soon Alistair stopped in his tracks as he pointed at a door.

"That's her house. I'm sure of it! She could be inside! Could we, um, go inside?"

"Yes, let's do that," Azure said gently.

"What if she doesn't know who I am? What if she doesn't know I exist? My sister...sissssteeeeeeeeer. Hmmm, oh, now I'm babbling. Maybe we should go. Let's just go!"

The siblings exchanged a glance, and Aedan knocked on the door and stepped inside, followed closely by Alistair and Azure.

...

The reunion with his sister had been awful. Alistair stood dejectedly outside her house, and looked at his boots.

"I don't know what to say," he said softly. "I never expected this." He lifted his head, and his eyes shone with unshed tears. "I thought she'd be happy to see me. Isn't that what family does? Accept you no matter what? I'm such an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot, Alistair," Aedan said softly. "But you should learn that everyone is out for themselves. The truth is that your sister is only after what you can give her. She's just looking for what is convenient to her, in this case, your money, which she didn't know you don't have."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," he sighed, visibly depressed. "Let's just go. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

And he walked away, leaving them standing there.


	12. Memories, Love and Wynne

**I want to thank Harmakhis and Jinx1983 for their awesome reviews, they made my day! **

**I'm not very happy with this chapter, and have been putting off posting it, re-editing and tweaking it far too many times. There are, however, several points I make with it, that will fit in nicely later. **

**To all who admire and like Wynne, my apologies. I could never stand her. *giggles* **

***bows to Bioware* Oh, Bioware, we love thee! :D **

Chapter 12 - Memories, Love and Wynne

Aedan and the rest of the group camped just outside Denerim.

They had stayed at the Gnawed Noble Tavern for three days, while doing odd jobs posted at the Chantry board and for Sergeant Kylon as well. Azure had also been doing jobs for the Mages Collective and had taken Alistair with her when she did.

She and Alistair were inseperable these days, and everyone had gotten used to this quickly, just as they also knew that Aedan and Morrigan had a torrid affair going on. Well, it _had_ been going on.

Lately, Aedan could be seen in the company of Leliana, who had turned away from Zevran and was now focusing on the Warden apparently, while Morrigan continued to look as haughty as ever and her sarcastic remarks came and went as she pleased.

Wynne looked upon all this and shook her head. She wanted the Wardens to focus on the serious task they had before them. The Blight was all that mattered, and the world could end, and yet they went about allowing love into their lives. She pursed her lips and hoped that one day the words she had spoken to Aedan would sink in.

Aedan stood defiant against her stares and the slight movements of her head whenever she was around. He didn't like people butting into his life and had made this clear to Wynne. He hoped she would keep her nose out of Alistair's budding relationship with his sister, mainly because she was so happy these days.

They were travelling to Haven, to seek out the urn. According to the journal that they had found in Genitivi's home, the urn holding the sacred ashes was there, and Aedan did not want to go back to Redcliffe until he had the ashes with him.

On the way, they ran into a group of darkspawn.

Alistair felt them before Aedan did. He tensed, his shield and sword were out so quick, Azure barely had time to register why and what was happening. He whispered urgently to Aedan, and both of them stood in a defensive pose, their eyes riveted to the dark woods ahead.

Their companions followed suit and in a few moments they were surrounded by genlocks and hurlocks and two emissaries. One of them tried to immobilize Wynne under a crushing prison spell.

Alistair uttered his battle cry, and hurled himself at the attacking emissary, bashing his shield into him, while Azure danced around and dug her twin blades effortlessly into his back.

"Whatever you do, do _not_ taste their blood, if you feel it on your lips wipe it off immediately, do you understand?" He whispered urgently to her, and she nodded, wide-eyed and fearful for a moment.

They continued to fight. Azure felt disgusted at the sight of the beings, their evil faces stretched into perpetual grins, their sharp teeth clicking and jaws smacking, as if they were tasting those that were fighting them.

At one point, towards the end of the battle, she had a revelation, the sounds of the cries and the swords clanging brought a memory back to her. A memory of cries and swords in a night that involved her falling back and bumping her head on a table, darkness descending around her.

She tensed at the memory and the knowledge that her mother and father would be worried about her before she had succumbed to the darkness, and this memory now was coming back to her, as she fought against the foul creatures that had ambushed them.

Alistair severed the head of the last one, before it reached her still form, and rushed to her side.

She stood there rigidly, her daggers still in her hands, her eyes wide, as she remembered the sounds of that night and she knew. She knew that she was Azure Cousland, the youngest daughter of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland.

Alistair was busy cleaning her face with a piece of cloth he had taken out of his pocket, and once he was done, he was busy assessing every inch of her body that was not covered, to see if she had any open wounds. She did not notice this. The only thing that she was doing was remembering, and her face was still and terribly silent.

Azure was in shock.

He only noticed this when he had finished checking her and was satisfied that she was all right. He held her face up to his, and whispered her name.

She did not move, her eyes did not see him. The memories had come rushing in like waves and her mind was flooded. The shock caused the world to tumble down around her, and he caught her in his arms before she fell.

They set up camp not far from where they had fought the darkspawn, and Wynne hovered over her, casting healing magic, at Alistair's insistence. Aedan stood silent and brooding beside him.

Alistair held her in his arms as she cast, and Wynne had a displeased look on her face the whole time. She left to wash at the creek, not far from where they had set up camp, shaking her head at the scene before her. He did not notice this. In truth, he had eyes only for her, and did not notice much else. Aedan's voice startled him when he spoke.

"We're going to have to leave her at Redcliffe when we go to Orzammar." He said quietly.

"And if the darkspawn attack Redcliffe, what then?" Alistair replied, his hand stroking her head gently.

"We're going to have to take that chance."

"No. We won't be taking any chances. We'll take her to Orzammar. The Deep Roads lie further underground. If we have to go in there, we'll leave her in a dwarven inn with the rest. I will not leave her behind in Redcliffe, while the Blight continues to threaten the south of Ferelden."

"She didn't collapse in battle because she was hurt," Aedan said. "She's strong, and we can count on this. She'll make it through, even if she is in Redcliffe."

"I'm not leaving her behind, no matter what you say, Aedan. I'm never going to leave her. That is my final word."

There was a determination in Alistair he had never seen before and it surprised him. He did not say anything else, but sat there looking up at him and his gaze darted to his sister, who was still unconscious.

She stirred then, and Alistair looked down at her face. Her eyes fluttered open, and were suddenly staring into his, confusion and tenderness in them at the same time.

"Alistair," she murmured.

"Hush, my sweet, be calm. You are safe," he said softly, pressing his lips on the crown of her head.

"Did I faint?"

"Yes, you did. But it's all right. I caught you in my arms, and you're fine," he whispered.

"Aedan?"

"I'm here," came the voice of her brother.

"Aedan, I...remember. I remembered who I was...who I am. Aedan...mother and father, they died, didn't they?" There was a catch in her voice, and Alistair's grip tightened and then he released her and moved slightly out of the way, so that Aedan could come closer to her.

"Yes, Azure. Father had already been mortally wounded. Mother insisted on staying with him while Duncan practically dragged me from their side and into the servants' tunnel in the larder. You have to believe me, there was nothing I could do, nothing..." The tears started to fall.

She let out a sob and held out her arms, and they embraced while they cried, their tears a healing balm that soothed their wounds as they did.

Alistair's eyes were moist as he left the tent, and stared up into the night sky, which was cloudy. He had witnessed the miracle of her memory returning and this was something that brought hope to his heart.

Aedan stepped outside. "She wants to talk to you," he said. Alistair patted his back and went into the tent.

She held out her arms to him and he rushed into them, holding her closely but gently.

"Alistair, I want to thank you," she said.

"Thank me? What for?" He asked, gently brushing the hair from her eyes.

"Because you are here. Because you are easing the pain. And most importantly because you are picking up the pieces."

He brought his lips on hers and they kissed. A kiss that was full of promise and love.

They broke away and looked into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Azure. I never want to be without you. I want to marry you, I want you in my life forever," he said, his warm amber eyes looking deeply into her green ones.

"I love you too. I want to be with you always," she replied.

"I never before thought I could find anyone like you. I never thought that I could love someone like I love you." He kissed her, and continued to kiss her. Their breathing got heavier, and she held him tightly, as he trailed kisses down her cheek and to her ear, where he continued to whisper his love for her.

She felt her body responding in a way that she never thought possible, the intensity surprised her. She felt herself wanting more, and her hands wound themselves in his hair, her lips on his, their tongues caressing and savoring, while they moaned and sighed, feeling the heat in their bodies rise. She felt the fear and overcame it, and this left her as breathless as his kisses. Without knowing it, she started to mold his body against his and her hips bucked involuntarily.

With great difficulty, Alistair broke away, and looked into her eyes.

"I think we should stop now," he said, his breathing hitched, his erection throbbing against his breeches.

She nodded and swallowed, part of her grateful that he could still get a grip on himself.

Outside the tent, Wynne cleared her throat.

"Come in," Azure called out and she did so.

"I merely wanted to check on you again now that you are awake, to see if you are all right," she said.

Alistair nodded and moved away. "I'll be around. I want to talk to Aedan, anyway. I'll be back, love," he murmured.

She nodded and watched him leave.

Wynne did not say anything to her, as she scanned and examined her, but Azure felt she strongly disapproved of her relationship with Alistair, and she felt herself getting angry.

"I'm all right, I know I am," she managed to say in a low voice. "I simply cannot lay here, I know Alistair wiped the darkspawn blood off, but I feel dirty. Is there a creek or spring nearby where I can bathe?"

"Yes, there is."

"All right then, I'll head out that way now." She picked up a towel and some soap, a change of clothes, and head outside, Wynne following closely behind.

"I don't think you're doing the right thing," she said behind her.

Azure turned to face her, her lips slightly parted as she regarded the elder mage with surprise.

"I beg your pardon?" She said stiffly.

"You are distracting him from the Blight. And what is more, he cannot love someone until the Blight is ended."

"And who are _you_ to say this?" Azure said angrily.

"I do not want to anger you," she said, choosing her words carefully. "But the truth is that this can have a tragic ending. You could die, or he could die, and then the pain that you would experience would be terrible. I simply want to protect you from this."

"So you would want me to end this now causing pain to ourselves in doing so, to avoid the pain that it would cause if anything happened later, is that what you are saying?"

"Yes. Besides, Alistair is a Grey Warden and the son of a king."

"He doesn't want to be king," she retorted quickly.

"That may be so, but he is a Grey Warden, and duty should come first for him, no matter what. What would happen if he had to choose between saving the life of the person he loves and ending the Blight?"

"I think you are overreacting. I don't think it will come to that. And he and my brother **will **end the Blight. That he loves me has nothing to do with it at all."

She looked defiantly at Wynne, the anger flashing in her eyes.

"I will not end what I have with Alistair, no matter what you say to me. He has given me hope. We are happy together. With him I feel complete and at peace. We love each other and we shall stand together. And I don't appreciate _you_ sticking your nose into our affairs. It is none of your business."

She turned to leave, but a thought entered her mind and she said fiercely, "Aedan and I...we're Couslands. The Couslands have always supported the king, and have done their duty. We know what is best. Kindly keep your _advice_ to yourself from now on."

And with those words, she started to walk towards the creek, leaving Wynne standing there, looking sadly at her retreating back.


	13. The Dwarven Kingdom

**All my thanks to Harmakhis and Jinx1983 for their reviews! You rock! :D **

**Bioware **_**still **_**owns...lol **

Chapter 13 - The Dwarven Kingdom

Haven had been madness.

The whole affair had caused some reactions. For one, Azure had told Aedan what Wynne had said to her, and his resentment towards her grew, as she had also given him 'her advice' beforehand, so she did not accompany them on their trip into the Gauntlet. The other result was that he was again with Morrigan. Alistair had commented that she was a bitch in the past, and he knew she was manipulative, but he felt she was a necessary escape for his pent up anger and frustration.

Leliana had become insufferable after Haven, singing praises to the Maker and marveling at the whole affair. Her friendship with Aedan had its results, however. She had confessed the real reason she had joined the Chantry in Lothering and Aedan found himself promising her that they would seek Marjoline out the first chance they had when they returned to Denerim.

Alistair had probably had the worst deal of them all. He had seen Azure totally naked as they approached the ashes, and even though he had averted his eyes most of the time, the peek he had gotten had been enough. He now had images of her breathtaking body in his dreams, and he would lie awake at night, imagining her in his arms totally naked, and doing things to her that caused his erection to strain painfully against his loose trousers. These nights usually ended in self-pleasuring himself, something that did not completely satisfy him, and left him wishing for more.

The poor man did not know that she was harboring a secret and growing desire for him as well. She had also gotten a glimpse of his body, and she had never before seen such a muscular and attractive male body. As a matter of fact she had never before seen a naked male body. His penis had seemed huge to her. And she remembered that her mother had told her the first time was a bit painful for a woman which kind of frightened her and thrilled her at the same time. She sighed at the thoughts that literally flooded her mind and she thought that she would go crazy soon or was already going crazy.

Therefore, their romance had taken a turn, becoming more passionate as their desire grew, and this mortified poor Alistair more than he could bear.

They were sitting at camp one night, keeping watch, (or so they tried, while Sten continued to march around the camp perimeter) kissing each other intensely and passionately, their mouths and hands working up a frenzy in each other that soon had them lying on the ground, with Alistair partially on top.

Alistair had then begun to trail kisses down her neck, his hands finally softly touching the flesh that was visible above her leather breastplate. He had a great deal of difficulty stopping, but he did, and his head felt like it would explode as he fought to control himself.

"I don't think I can control myself much longer, love. I'm going to ask Aedan to put me on watch with somebody else," he groaned.

She said nothing to this and bit her lower lip worriedly. Sex was a man thing, right? Then why did she feel like she wanted it? Did that make her bad?

Leliana walked out of her tent, and found them sitting beside each other, both of them blushing and looking uncomfortable.

She giggled and waved her hand to Azure, motioning her to come to her, while Alistair stood up and mumbled something about dunking his head in cold water, walking off to the pond that was nearby.

Azure stood before Leliana, still blushing.

"You are a virgin, aren't you?" Leliana asked directly.

Azure nodded, and blushed deeper at her question.

"Do you _want_ to have sex?" Leliana's next question was, of course, the one that had her doubting herself and her sanity in the first place.

"I-I don't know. You know what happened to me, right?"

"Yes, I do. I know it must have been terrible, but you are getting over that, no? I imagine Alistair is doing his best to help you get over that. He is a gentleman and is very concerned about you. Everyone knows how much he loves you. You love him, don't you?"

"Yes, I do love him."

"You shouldn't feel that wanting him is bad, Azure. Sex is a beautiful thing between two people that love each other. If Alistair does things to pleasure you, your first time may not be so painful at all."

Alistair had returned from the pond, and he walked towards the two women, keeping his eyes on Azure.

"I think I'm going to try to catch some sleep. Oh, hello, Leliana," he added, smiling at the bard.

"Hello Alistair. It's a nice night, isn't it?" She giggled.

"Yes, it is...well...ummm...Azure, you should probably try to get some sleep too, we set off for Orzammar first thing in the morning."

"Yes, I'm going now. Thanks Leliana, and I would like to talk to you about this some other time," she added looking at the redhead, who smiled at her and nodded.

"Whenever you want to, is fine."

They turned and Alistair walked her to her tent, where he gave her a goodnight kiss.

"I love you," he whispered, his head touching her forehead lightly for a moment, his eyes lost in hers.

"I love you too," she whispered back and they each went into their tents to dream about each other.

...

They were walking to Orzammar and were about an hour away, when Azure fell behind to talk to Leliana, and Alistair quickened his pace a bit to talk to Aedan.

"Oh, hi Alistair. Is everything all right?" Aedan said, glancing briefly at his friend.

"I- I'm having a bit of trouble, Aedan. I don't know what to do," he replied, and glanced at Aedan, who caught a look of despair in his.

"What has you so worked up, my friend?" But Aedan suspected what it was, and smiled to himself.

"It's Azure. Maker's breath! Ever since Haven, I-"

"Yes, I know how hard it can be for you. I think the time has come for us to have a serious chat, my friend, and when I'm done talking to you, you'll thank me for it later."

"I...I know it's your sister we're talking about here. I love her. I don't want to seem like some lecher-"

Aedan burst out laughing.

"Alistair, you could never be a lecher, even if you wanted to!" He sputtered. "You are too much of a prude for that! But relax, I'm okay with it, if you two decide to take your relationship to the next level. As long as you don't leave her and you end up marrying her, it's fine by me..."

"Maker's breath, Aedan! If we do take it to the next level, I won't ever leave her! And I do want to marry her. Maybe when we go back to Denerim..."

"Let's just deal with Loghain and the Blight first. With all that has to be done, it's not like you two will be having sex with each other every night and all the time now, is it?"

"But I really want to marry her, Blight or no."

"Maker's blood, you **are** determined about this, aren't you?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. I've given it a lot of thought and have made up my mind," Alistair said.

"Let's get some rooms at an inn in Orzammar once we arrive. Then we can have our 'chat'. And after that...well...that depends entirely on you and Azure, of course. Hmmm...let me rephrase that. It depends entirely on _her_."

Massive stone arches slowly came into view, signaling their arrival to the outskirts of the underground city and they fell silent after that, each of them deep in their own thoughts.

...

The first thing that greeted them was a group of bounty hunters sent by Loghain. Azure cursed darkly and hurled herself at the mage immediately, her eyes flashing as fast as her twin blades did.

When they had dispatched them, Aedan turned to Alistair.

"He's set bounty hunters on us. You realize that Howe must have people looking for Azure as well, don't you?"

"I'm not staying behind, Aedan," she blurted out.

"I know you're not," Aedan said before Alistair could say a word. "I suggested it before, and Alistair has his views on that. And I happen to agree with him. It's far riskier to leave you behind, because the Blight is nearly upon us. We'll talk more about this at the inn."

Alistair fell into step beside them as they trekked along the snow-filled path up a stone ramp leading to the city.

The sight that met them caused them to stop in their tracks momentarily. The whole area was bustling with activity, as various merchants both dwarves and human scattered here and there behind stands offering their wares. In the center there was a suspicious group of three, and Aedan knew at once that they were the last group of deserters to complete the job he had accepted for the Blackstone Irregulars.

He glanced at Azure, who had already spotted them and whipped out her daggers. She glanced at him in turn, a wicked grin already on her lips.

He chuckled and charged.

...

They were haggling with the innkeeper to secure rooms for themselves and the rest of their companions.

Azure had a knack for this. She looked slightly bored at the dwarf, but continued to shoot him down relentlessly, until he finally agreed on a price that was less than half the price the rooms had initially been offered to them.

She clapped down the money on the counter, and turned triumphantly to the rest.

Orzammar had filled them with awe when they first entered the Hall of Heroes, but they were dumbstruck when they finally entered the Commons area. The stone structures and impressive carvings that stretched upwards silenced them and made them feel quite small and insignificant.

Aedan had been pleased so far, in spite of the fact that the city was in turmoil at the moment. Part of his satisfaction had been that they had met the merchant Faryn at the entrance who knew where Sten's sword was. The knowledge that the blade was now in Redcliffe, and at the hands of Dwyn, who had fought with them against the undead, had lightened his mood. Sten had grunted at him after Faryn had confessed where the sword was. Aedan took this as a thank you.

Things were falling into place and turning out the way they should. He was highly optimistic that it would be the same in the city. Even though King Endrin was dead, he felt that the assembly would take a look at the treaty and grant him the aid they needed.

They sat at the table and ordered drinks and food.

"Once we get the assembly's support, then we can make our way south to Redcliffe and find out if the ashes cure Eamon," Aedan said happily, sipping at his ale.

Alistair took a long drink of ale. "Careful, Alistair. Dwarven ale is very potent," Wynne warned.

"You think I don't know that?" Alistair grinned at her. "It's time to relax a little. Besides, I don't see _you_ being particularly careful with it."

Sten turned to them and his comment left them struggling with themselves to keep from laughing.

"I should have stayed in that cage." He glared around the room as dwarves sang and tumbled down like flies after passing out. "Is this some sort of mass suicide?" He added in the same monotone.

"If you get drunk and pass out from drinking Dwarven ale, it does become suicide," Alistair said thoughtfully as a memory of his experience with the said ale broke through the rest of his thoughts and he winced painfully.

They all burst out laughing, and Alistair started at the sound. He grinned after a while, but Azure could see that he had been quite serious about his views on Dwarven ale.

"Oh, my love..." she said in mock concerned tones as she stroked his hair lightly. "Did you drink too much ale and wished you died afterwards?"

"You have no idea what the hangover is like..." he shuddered and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"So, let's get organized," Aedan began. Everyone groaned. "What?" He said staring at their faces for a moment. "We have to decide what to do."

"All right, all right. I have an idea. We all go shopping and you and Alistair go to the assembly and show the treaty to Steward Bandelor," Azure said wickedly and the rest readily agreed with her.

"Huh, I like that. Leave all the boring work to the Wardens, while you all go and frolic around the place, having fun. Very convenient," Alistair muttered.

"Oh, it's all right by me," Aedan said. "We don't care about shopping and playing we're tourists, do we Alistair?"

"Um..." Alistair said uncertainly. In truth, he did want to go shopping for one special item he wanted to give Azure, but he wanted it to be a surprise, so he didn't answer Aedan.

"As far as I have been able to discern, the dwarves are now divided into two groups, those that support Lord Harrowmont as future king and those that support Prince Bhelen." Aedan said briskly. "We aren't here to play the political game, but if things get out of hand, we have to know what is happening in order to make the correct decisions."

"I believe Bhelen is the strongest of the two. I've been listening to several conversations," Zevran filled in, his golden-hazel eyes meeting Aedan's.

"Well, I hope it doesn't come to us having to take sides," Aedan said to Zevran. "I'm eager to get this over with and be on our way."

They finished eating and took their things to their rooms. Aedan turned to leave while Alistair held Azure in his arms briefly and kissed her goodbye before he followed Aedan out of the tavern.

**A/N: Please comment if you can, don't be shy! LOL :D **


	14. The Art of Passionate Love

**Thank you so much, Harmakhis and Jinx1983 for your awesome reviews. I am now looking forward to owning an ice cream factory, lol! :D **

**This chapter is **_**the**_** chapter. The chapter of smuttiness. I tried to make it as detailed as possible, so fair warning, the contents of this chapter are **_**very**_** M rated. **

**Bioware owns everything...**

Chapter 14 - The Art of Passionate Love

Aedan was really angry and Alistair was keeping his distance.

They had just been to see Steward Bandelor and had discovered that nobody would even look at the treaty, much less promise them aid. The king was the only one who could help, and that was a little problematic, as there was no king on the throne at the moment.

Aedan spoke to Vartag Gavorn soon afterwards, and nearly snarled at the dwarf, as he tore the parchments for Lady Dace and Lord Helmi which would convince them to sway their votes from his hands.

He muttered darkly to himself as he left the assembly hall, nearly running over Dulin Forender, who was Harrowmont's second in command.

After speaking to him, he turned and went to the Shaperate, determined to see if at least the Shaper could throw some light on the current situation.

He knew it would be useless, however. As much as he didn't want to play the game, he already knew that in order for him to secure the aid of the dwarves in the upcoming battle against the Blight, he would have to end up siding with either Gavorn or Forender and he groaned inwardly.

When they discovered that the documents he had in his hand which Vartag had given him had been altered, he had to suppress the growing desire to rip them to shreds, and stormed out of the Shaperate.

Once outside he stood seething, trying to get a grip on himself.

Alistair, in the meantime, had stayed behind and promised to help a dwarf by the name of Orta who was standing around with a sad, lost expression on her face in one of the many aisles of the Shaperate.

When he joined Aedan, and saw his stormy countenance, he kept quiet about it, deciding wisely that he would let him simmer down before letting him know that they would be travelling further underground to the Deep Roads in order to help Orta.

No need to tell him now and risk a broken nose.

...

He threw the documents on the table of the inn where Azure was sitting, and sat down himself, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

Alistair slipped onto the seat beside her, and put his arm around her shoulders, whispering something into her ear.

She nodded and turned, brilliant green eyes on her brother, surveying him closely.

The rest of their companions were absent, probably walking around the Commons area as they shopped for items.

"Well, it seems we have to choose between lending our support to Bhelen or to Harrowmont, right dear brother?" Azure's voice cut through the silence.

Aedan said nothing to this. He was still shaking his head.

Azure turned to Alistair, who had his eyes on her. They were kind of glazed and she saw that he was daydreaming. She jabbed him with an elbow.

"Ouch! Oh! Yes...um...yes, my love?" He said, smiling down at her.

"What do you think, Alistair? Should we lend our support to Harrowmont or Bhelen?"

Before he had a chance to answer, Aedan's weary voice interrupted.

"Bhelen's second forged the documents in front of you. I checked with the Lord Shaper."

"Lord Shaper?" She echoed.

"Not important who he is, at the moment. Look, if we want to do this as quickly as possible, we should probably side with Harrowmont. His second in command is nicer and they aren't cheating to get their way and win."

"That doesn't mean that Harrowmont is the best option, Aedan. You know this," she said quietly.

"What I know makes no difference. We need to do this as quickly as possible. In case you haven't noticed, there is a Blight coming." His sarcastic tone annoyed her.

"Don't be such a baby, Aedan, and remember the lessons father taught us."

"Taught _you_, maybe. I was training to be a warrior, remember?"

"Fine! We'll support Harrowmont then, even if he turns out to be a weak king, and it throws the city into turmoil after he is assassinated later on during his rule!" She said, her voice becoming louder.

Aedan stared at her, and after a while sighed deeply.

"All right, all right. We'll support Bhelen and do what Vartag asks us to do," he said, not wanting her to throw a tantrum.

She smiled then and nodded.

"Rule number one in the Cousland Book: Never incur a female Cousland's wrath. You don't want to find out what happens if you do," Aedan told Alistair grimly.

...

Lady Dace informed them that she could not change her vote. Her father was the only one who could.

"And your father is...missing?" Aedan asked, already fearing the worse.

"Blessed stone! No. Not missing exactly. He is on an expedition in the Deep Roads. I'll give you a pass so you can go in to meet him."

"This is just...peachy!" Aedan exclaimed with exaggerated cheerfulness as they walked towards the Commons.

They found Morrigan there, she was looking at the wares one of the merchants was offering. He asked if she could accompany them and she readily agreed, smiling seductively at him.

Aedan curiously glanced at his wares as well. He didn't pay much attention to the merchant, who seemed a bit off to him. Among the things he had, a golden mirror caught his eye. He remembered Morrigan talking about a golden mirror to him after one of their love-making sessions. As he held the mirror, and looked at it, he discovered it looked very much like the one she had described to him. Without thinking twice he bought the mirror, smiling at what would happen later in the privacy of his room when he gave it to her.

This thought kept him in a good mood as the four of them went through the arched doorway leading into the Deep Roads.

"Lord Dace, you'd better be alive," Aedan murmured.

...

They were at the Tapsters Tavern, now looking for Lord Helmi. The Deep Roads had been a breeze, even when they had met the darkspawn along the way.

After they had fought them, Alistair had fussed over Azure, cleaning off the blood from her face and the rest of her body the best he could. He was terrified of the idea of her becoming infected with the Taint.

Azure had had fun though. The deepstalkers had particularly been interesting to her, and she soon discovered that if she waited long enough and threw an acid flask at them and then whirled around holding out her daggers, she could kill a whole bunch of them.

Aedan spotted a dwarven bartender, and asked her if she knew Lord Helmi, and soon they were standing in front of him.

They got him to change his vote and decided to head out to the assembly again to let Vartag know of their success.

A very pleased Vartag then led them to the Palace to meet the prince.

When they found out that he could not take the throne yet, nor help them, but needed their further assistance, Aedan was prepared for it. When would anything be easy in all this madness they had been thrown into anyway? He agreed to get rid of Jarvia and the criminal carta that ruled the casteless and the slums and informed him he would take care of the problem the following day.

They made their way to the inn they were staying at and encountered the rest of their companions who were already ordering dinner, and sat with them at the table.

Azure ordered a hot bath and excused herself, though. She secretly wanted to be free from the darkspawn blood on her body even if she seemed not to be concerned about it. If Alistair worried himself over it, and he protected her with his life, she knew it must be important, so she left them, and said she would be back for dinner later on.

Alistair walked her to her door and kissed her until the maid showed up with hot water for the bath.

Azure giggled as she pushed him away softly and closed the door.

He walked back to the group and sat at the table again, a soft smile playing on his lips.

...

Aedan and Morrigan whispered something to each other, and she left the table, walking towards the hallway that led to her room. He grinned after her.

Wynne and the rest of their companions soon excused themselves and ordered hot baths, having finished their dinner. Soon only Alistair and Aedan remained at the table.

"Here," Aedan said as he took something from his backpack and threw on the table in front of Alistair.

A copy of the book 'The Art of Passionate Love' lay in front of Alistair and his eyes widened.

"Where in Thedas did you get _that_?" Alistair exclaimed.

"Yes, yes. I know it was banned by the Chantry, which is precisely why it ended up in the trunk in my room," he chuckled. "When I left the castle, I took everything from my trunk and stuffed it in my pack, so that's why it's here now."

"I see..." Alistair said, as he eyed the book, not daring for a moment to touch it.

Aedan burst out laughing. "You are such a prude, Alistair! The book is for _you_!"

"I don't under-"

"Look, even though I have things to tell you about sex, there is no better teacher than this book. Trust me," he grinned.

"Um...yes. All right," Alistair then took it and started to open it, but Aedan whispered at him urgently.

"Azure is coming, stash it in your pack, quick!"

The book vanished into the depths of Alistair's pack.

...

Alistair relaxed in the hot water after having lathered and rinsed. The one good thing about Dwarven bathtubs is that the dwarves had managed to invent a way to keep coals in a layer below the bathtubs. As a result, once the coals were hot, the water in the tub would keep warm no matter how much time passed.

As he relaxed, he remembered the book Aedan had given him, and after giving it some thought, reluctantly left the warm water and dried himself, wrapping the towel around his waist once he was done.

He walked the length of the room, stopping in front of his pack, where he retrieved a clean tunic for sleeping , some loose trousers and the book. He put them on and sat on the bed. Opening the book, he had just started to settle down to give it a good read, when there was a knock on the door.

He froze for a moment, and stared at the door. It was late, and he didn't understand how someone could be visiting his room so late.

He stood up, his bare feet making no noise on the stone floor as he crossed the room and flung the door open, holding the book in his other hand.

Azure stood there, dressed in a robe, looking up at him, her brilliant green eyes on fire.

He pulled her into the room and closed the door.

"Maker's breath, Azure, what are you doing here?" He asked as he held her tightly. "Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

She giggled against his chest, and looked up into his eyes. "No, I just couldn't sleep."

"Oh...I...oh, of course...I mean..." he stumbled over his words.

She glanced down curiously at the book he was holding.

"What have you there? OH!" She started laughing and Alistair blushed and looked totally confused at the same time.

He looked so adorable. She stopped laughing and took the book from his hands.

"I know this book," she grinned mischievously.

"What? I- er- how?" Alistair's power of speech seemed to have left him completely for the night.

"It was in the library, before it made its way to Aedan's trunk," she grinned as she gave him the explanation.

He stood there for a moment, then, unable to control himself, bent down and kissed her.

The book fell from her hands and landed on the floor with a thud.

She kissed him back just as eagerly and their arms and hands caressed each other, and their passion grew. She moaned into his mouth and he felt the sparks go off in his head, and travel right down to his navel and below. Stroking her hair, his hand fell down to her waist, and he ground her against him, their mouths still locked together, their tongues dancing furiously with each other.

He tried to maneuver her toward the bed and stumbled against his pack on the floor, falling backwards on his behind, carrying her down with him.

"Uh, not where I wanted-" She cut his sentence off, and continued to kiss him with such passion that he felt himself go crazy with want and desire.

She was sitting on his lap, and kissing him intensely her hands entwined in his short reddish blond hair, and she kept humming into his mouth. His hands roamed over her breasts, and tentatively touched them over the cloth of the robe she was wearing, gasping into her mouth as he did so.

She tugged at his shirt, and he put his arms over his head, allowing her to take it off.

The shirt got stuck at his wrists, and she tugged again, her face getting redder by the minute.

The shirt was covering part of his head, and his voice came out slightly muffled.

"Wait, let me help-" She gave a triumphant cry and managed to extricate it at last and flung it away. Her eyes looked at him hungrily and their lips joined together again.

Her hands roamed over his muscular chest, and he tore himself away, only to stand up and pull her closely again in a tight embrace, his hands traveling up and down her back and burying themselves in her hair.

Then he broke away, looking into her green eyes, that were dark with desire, long enough to whisper to her, his amber eyes dark as well.

"Are you sure you want to do this, my love?"

She kissed him fiercely in reply and he moaned into her mouth, and then carried her to the bed, laying her on top.

She was tugging at his loose trousers, and he smiled, and took them off, letting them fall to the floor. He had nothing underneath and his erection, finally free from its confinement, thrust forward and throbbed with pleasure.

She gasped at the size of it, and lifted her eyes to his face, a mixture of fear and wonder in them.

"I won't hurt you. I promise," he whispered and he lay beside her, his hands gentle on her body, touching and traveling down the front of her robe to the belt that held it together.

He pulled at the belt and his hands opened her robe. His eyes widened with surprise when he discovered that she was naked under it.

His breath hitched as he stared at her body, his eyes worshipping each and every part of it.

Her eyes were warm on his, and she smiled.

Alistair felt the world spinning madly around him as he moved a calloused hand and placed it gently and carefully on one of her breasts. The pleasure it gave him to see her eyes close and hear her moan, heightened his desire for her, and he placed his other hand on her other breast and gently massaged it as well. His hand grazed her nipple and she threw her head back and made a delightful sound, so he focused on her nipples and soon her back was arching towards him.

He brought his lips down on hers again and then broke away, kissing her gently on the corner of her mouth and then trailing his mouth along her jaw line, arriving at her ear, where he whispered a throaty "I love you" before continuing down her neck, tasting her and smelling her and feeling her softness, his head still spinning as his desire grew and built up inside him.

His mouth was now at her breast, her head thrown back, as he gazed upon her. He was breathing hard as his mouth pressed on a nipple and kissed it first. She bucked involuntarily so he took the nipple in his mouth and flicked his tongue over it experimentally, and saw that she liked that, so he took it in his mouth and sucked it. She went wild with pleasure.

He smiled inwardly to himself and worked his way slowly to the other nipple and did the same, getting a similar response. He continued to kiss her and his tongue had now joined his mouth in worshipping her body, her hands were all over his hair, and he felt elated as he continued to gaze at her each and every time he did something new, watching her reaction to everything he did, learning how to love her.

One of his hands reached the dark red curls under her navel and he rested it there, feeling them and stroking it until one of his fingers slipped a little lower, and accidentally found her clit. She bucked up and he found that she was wet. He reveled at her wetness, reverently stroking her slowly and gently, his gaze still fixed on her, watching her every reaction closely.

If she had gone wild before, she was certainly bordering insanity now, as a scream escaped her lips. He had heard that women had a sensitive spot there, when his Warden brothers had talked about their sexual exploits around the table as they drank and laughed over ale. What he didn't expect was to actually experience the reaction firsthand, like he was now. For the first time, Alistair was actually making love to a woman and was discovering that pleasuring the woman he loved was far more satisfying than anything he had felt or done before in his life.

His hand then found a small bump, and when his calloused fingers gently touched, her hips bucked against his hand, and he knew instinctively that he had found the spot.

He focused on it using his hand, while he continued to look at her. Her hands were tightly grasping the sheets and her head was thrown back, and her hips continued to buck against his hand.

"Alistair," she moaned, and his name on her lips drove him to the brink of insanity for a moment and he very nearly lost his self control. He silently thanked the Maker for his Templar training and continued to stroke her gently.

He wondered how she tasted down there, and he moved his head down and his tongue touched the nub gently. Her moans filled the room and he adopted a rhythm, slowly at first but then gradually faster. His fingers found the entrance to her core, and it was so wet, one of his fingers slipped inside, and she ground herself onto his hand and face, and his name became a chant on her lips as she continued to buck following the rhythm of his tongue and finger and his name was the only thing he heard her say as she gasped and panted.

She tensed after a few minutes and seemed to convulse and he took his finger out, thinking about how it would feel if he was inside her as she did that, and he trembled. His mouth and tongue started to lick the entrance to her core, as he tasted her and loved the way she tasted, sweet and salty at the same time.

He lifted his face and his eyes found hers, then he was upon her again, kissing her passionately and holding her tightly, and she smiled into his mouth and kissed him back, her hands traveling down his chest, and one of her hands continuing below his navel to his groin.

His breath hitched and he broke away from the kiss, and his eyes were almost black.

"My love," he murmured and then it was he who threw back his head when her hand closed around his erection, gently moving up and down.

He hissed and bent down to kiss her again and thrust his arousal forward involuntarily as her hand continued to move up and down.

He could not take it any longer. He stopped her hand, and broke away. Looking deeply into her eyes, he positioned himself on top of her.

He kissed her and leaning on one of his elbows for support, let his hand touch her breasts once again, his forefinger and thumb twisting her nipple gently, and she continued to moan as her hands, forever restless, now traveled up and down his back.

He continued to touch her gently, and his hand traveled down below her navel again, he eased her legs open and he found her entrance and stroked her nub. She was wet and delicious and she was ready.

He still looked at her with a questioning glance, and she nodded once, so he took his penis in his hand and placed it at her entrance, and she opened her legs even more readying herself to receive him, her hands now tightly holding his shoulders.

He pressed forward as slowly as he could, looking at her intently, watching for any signs of discomfort or pain. He gave another gentle push and felt a resistance and stopped.

"No, don't stop," she panted, breathing heavily.

So he pushed again, a little harder and he felt the tear and saw the pain on her face.

"Stop!" She screamed, and he immediately did as she asked. He waited patiently even though his body screamed at him to continue.

After a few minutes, he felt her relax, and she opened his eyes and he bent down to kiss her.

"Are you all right?" He whispered, and she nodded, so he pushed again gently and she surprised him by locking her feet around his waist.

He pushed all the way inside and stopped, feeling her around him, her tightness and wetness enveloping his length. He bent down to kiss her again, and their tongues met and danced with each other. He broke away from the kiss, and his head dropped down to her ear.

"I love you, Azure..." he breathed and he began to move inside her.

The movement was clumsy at first, they were not synchronized, but slowly and naturally they fell into a rhythm and she found herself feeling as if she was floating, while her pleasure continued to build inside her, taking her further to the edge.

He continued to whisper words of love in her ear huskily while breathing heavily, his head and whole body on fire with his desire for her.

Their movements quickened, and their thrusts became more urgent, as their climax built inside them, and then her walls started to convulse around him and he felt himself go crazy as he reached the edge and beyond, giving a final thrust deep inside her, as he released his seed.

And Alistair Theirin knew at that moment that he was complete and she owned his soul and heart.

Forever.


	15. Only You

**Wow! More reviews this time! I want to thank everyone who reviewed: Harmakhis, Jinx1983 and Lord Kain, and all those that favored and added this story to your alerts! Thanks so much for reading this fic and following it closely! You all rock! :D **

**And onto the next, a bit of mild smuttiness here and there, but nothing really major, lol. **

**Bioware really does own! :D **

Chapter 15 - Only You

The darkness before dawn held no meaning in the underground Dwarven city, yet Alistair awoke feeling it as certainly as the air he was breathing.

He turned to the sleeping form beside him and smiled as he looked down at the face he thought was perfect. Her hair, reddish brown now looked dark and he could barely make out her peaceful features in the half light of the room, but he knew them by heart, and his memory supplied what his vision could not.

He waited, head on his hand, watching the rhythm of her steady breathing. As far as he was concerned, he could watch over her like this forever, and would not move an inch, not even if the archdemon itself made an appearance.

She stirred in her sleep and turned, nestling on his chest.

His arms automatically and naturally went around her, and his lips kissed her on the crown of her head. Her scent reached his nostrils and he felt a twinge of desire, the early sparks beginning to fuel him once again. He sighed deeply.

She opened her eyes and looked up, smiling and blinking sleepily at him. Alistair felt his heart give a leap and skip.

"Good morning, my beautiful love. Did you sleep well?" He kissed her forehead and felt the joy pouring into his heart. He would make sure to have this vision waking up beside him for the rest of his life.

"Mmmm," she answered in reply and moved to stretch. As she did so, the sheet that was covering her, fell away, and his eyes darted down to her full breasts. His desire grew.

"Can I move into your room from now on?" She said, her eyes shut.

"You'll have to ask your betrothed first," he answered, his voice low and husky with emotion.

She opened her eyes wide then, as he turned for a minute to get something that was on the table beside the bed. He turned back and held something in front of her, and she could not make out what it was at first.

A burst of flames from the fireplace suddenly illuminated what he was holding out to her, and she saw that it was a ring. A gold band, with small tiny diamonds encrusted all around it.

She held her breath for a moment, and then let it out, as she touched the ring, afraid that it was all a dream.

His voice cut through her thoughts, filling the room as he poured out his love for her.

"Azure, I love you with all my heart and soul. Even more than I thought possible to love somebody. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She looked up at him, her eyes like stars and then saw the fear in his. Fear of rejection and of being without her.

She realized then that she practically held his life in her hands, and felt a bit frightened at the power she held over him.

But she saw that the same could be said of her, for the idea of being without him filled her with fear as well.

"Yes, Alistair. I do want to marry you."

He finally drew his breath out in a prolonged sigh and grinned, relaxing and his eyes shone with the love he felt for her. Taking her hand, he slipped the ring over her right ring finger, and then he turned her hand over and kissed her palm.

She squeezed his hand and they hugged each other tightly and then kissed each other, falling back to the pillows as their desire rekindled.

It was a long time before they left the room.

...

Fortunately for them, Morrigan had kept Aedan very busy until nearly noon, so it was Aedan who was late that morning. He arrived at their table with a very smug Morrigan in tow.

Alistair and Azure were at the table, holding hands and oblivious to everything else. Their companions knew from the moment they had made their appearance that something had happened, but they kept their mouths shut about it for the time being.

Aedan told them they would have to go clear out Jarvia's hideout, and he picked the group for the task.

It came as no surprise to them, when Azure was called upon to be in the group, along with Alistair and Morrigan. However, it did surprise them, and the Antivan assassin, to hear his name being called out.

As soon as they moved out of the inn, Azure cornered Aedan and took off a leather gauntlet to show him the ring she was wearing.

"Alistair proposed to me last night," she said smiling happily at him.

Aedan stared at the ring then at his sister, who looked radiant. He spotted the afterglow of sex immediately and turned to look at Alistair only to find that he looked radiant as well and was looking at her dreamily.

"Well...I can't say I'm not surprised," he got out. Alistair came out of his reverie and walked towards Aedan.

"Aedan, please allow me to ask for the hand of your sister in marriage," he said very formally and Aedan had difficulty suppressing a grin at his stiff and serious demeanor, but managed to all the same.

"Oh, I'm not going to stop you from _that_, you can be sure. After all, I would have killed you had you not proposed to her." He finally grinned.

"Aedan!" Azure warned and his grin vanished.

"Yes, well, congratulations you two! Now let's get down to business, or we shall never leave this Maker-forsaken city."

...

As it turned out, they were going to have to stay in the city much longer than anyone expected.

Aedan looked at Bhelen after he had made his latest appeal for aid in order to get him to the throne as if he had sprouted two heads and tentacles.

"So...we have to get to this Branka, who has been missing for the past two years and is somewhere in the depths of the Deep Roads, and deal with her, or convince her to support you, and then you'll finally be able to take the throne, am I right?" He asked, a look of disbelief plastered on his face.

"Yes, you are correct," Bhelen answered. "As she is a living paragon, her support or bringing her body back to me if she is dead, would ensure that everyone knows that the ancestors favor me, and I would then be able to take the throne."

His disbelief turned into anger, but he kept it in check until they were away from Bhelen and out of the palace. Only then did his tantrum take hold of him.

"Maker's breath! Why is it that I keep getting the impression that everyone is against us in this Blight? Why, oh why?" His voice boomed and nobody dared breath too loudly, lest he turn his rage on whoever did.

He stomped a few minutes, snarled at a dwarf who was staring at him, and went off to sit on a stone bench overlooking the city, simmering quietly.

Alistair, Azure, Zevran and even Morrigan, exchanged glances with each other, unsure of what to do or say to make it better.

"Fuck!" Came a scream from Aedan as he sat, staring angrily at the view of the city below him.

They decided it was better if they did nothing.

...

Aedan finally sighed deeply as he got a grip on himself.

"Right," he said, "Azure, you aren't going, so we'll get back to the others and see if Sten wants to come along. He seems quite eager about killing darkspawn as it is."

Azure opened her mouth to protest, but Alistair squeezed her hand, and she found herself looking into a pair of very concerned amber eyes.

"Please, my love. There are darkspawn down there, lots of them. I can't risk you being in contact with them. I would go crazy if you were infected with the Taint," he whispered.

So she did as Aedan asked and they walked back wearily and found Sten.

Alistair took her in his arms and kissed her goodbye.

They turned and then went through the stone archway into the Deep Roads, and Azure felt like someone had taken a piece of her heart as she watched them disappear from view.

...

They spent four days under the Dwarven city, killing as many darkspawn as they could along the way as they searched for Branka.

During the times when they camped to rest before they carried on, Alistair and Aedan had long chats and became very close. He told him exactly what had happened between his sister and him and Aedan's first remark had been that he never knew that Alistair wouldn't really need the book, or he wouldn't have given it to him. Alistair blushed and grinned at this as a reply and Aedan laughed.

He also told Alistair to be thankful that it was him not Fergus who was here and a fellow Grey Warden to him, for he was laid back and went with the flow, whereas Fergus would have probably challenged him to a duel, had he known that he had taken his sister's virtue.

"Even after I proposed and given her that ring?" Alistair had asked curiously and blanched when Aedan assured him that it would have happened anyway.

"You have no idea how stern and old-fashioned my older brother is, he has always been very overprotective of Azure," he said seriously.

"Thank the Maker it's you here then," Alistair said earnestly and Aedan laughed to that.

They were still finding the latest addition to their group amusing. A dwarf by the name of Oghren had joined them to help them find Branka. He had been married to Branka and knew where she was, as he claimed that he was the only one who knew what she was after.

They both wondered at this, because he was so drunk most of the time, they wondered at his ability to even know where his head was, much less the direction where they were going, but then changed their opinion of him the day they saw him fight.

Oghren was a berserker. This made him strong beyond strong, as his strength was fueled by rage. That, and the fact that he always killed his mark when he swung the huge axe he carried, brought him glances of admiration from the two wardens.

On the third day, they reached the Deep Trenches and met the archdemon.

Truthfully, the archdemon did not seem to know they were there, but they got a good look at it. Aedan narrowed his eyes, and vowed to kill it right then and there.

...

Back in the city, Azure was worried sick over Alistair and her brother. They had been gone for three days, and even Leliana who had grown close to her, could not extract a smile from her.

Azure was pining away for Alistair, and this made her terribly restless. Leliana then suggested they go shopping for shoes, and got an angry glare from her, so she dropped the subject.

Wynne approached her on the morning of the fourth day. She bristled visibly. She still hadn't quite forgiven Wynne and her views on her relationship with Alistair.

"Azure, I have been wanting to talk to you for some time now," Wynne began, a kind look in her blue eyes.

"What would you want to talk to me about?" Azure answered back curtly.

"I wanted to apologize. I realize that what I said to you was completely out of line, and I shouldn't have stuck my nose into your business."

Azure said nothing to this, but Wynne continued speaking.

"I wanted to tell you that you and Alistair seem to have something special and you make each other very happy. I'm sorry for my premature assessment of your relationship and was hoping that you could find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Wynne, you really did hurt my feelings that day, you know," Azure said. "But I'm not the sort of person to hold a grudge for a very long time, I guess. I accept your apology," she said and smiled at the elder mage.

"Thank you so much, Azure. I'm glad he proposed to you too, and I'm happy that in this moment of darkness you two can find happiness," she added.

Azure smiled again and then took her leather glove off and showed her the ring Alistair had given her.

Wynne oohed and ahhed at the ring, and Leliana arrived to add to the noises, while Prince barked happily around them.

They decided then to go to the Commons to get some supplies and look around after having lunch at the inn. Truthfully, Leliana had agreed on Azure's suggestion because she knew that she wanted to keep as close as possible to the road that led into the Deep Roads in case they returned.

And then, it happened. Just as they were looking at the stand that was closest to the road to the mines and the Deep Roads, Prince let out a happy bark and sped off.

Azure's eyes followed the dog's trail, and sure enough, Aedan emerged from the dark tunnel, followed closely behind by Sten, Zevran, Morrigan, a redhead dwarf she had never seen before, and Alistair. Prince hurled himself at his master, and licked his face. And Alistair spied Azure running towards him and held out his arms to her.

She ran as fast as she could and threw herself into Alistair's waiting arms, and jumped up, her legs latching around his waist in a tight vise.

Alistair's laughter filled the place and he held her closely, feeling her warmth and thanking the Maker for her. Then, he bent his head down and started to kiss her, thinking his heart would surely burst from the sheer joy and love that filled it.

They broke away when Aedan's voice cut through. "What? No greeting for me from my little sister?" He pouted.

Azure broke away from Alistair's embrace and jumped on Aedan, who looked very pleased as he held her close to his heart.

...

Bhelen was finally crowned king after they made their way to the Assembly bearing the crown forged by Caradin and they were finally granted the aid needed for the Blight by a very grateful king.

They wearily went back to the inn, had dinner while they told tales of what they had experienced while looking for Branka to the rest of the group, and decided to turn in for the night.

Alistair felt a sigh of relief escape his lips as he settled into the warm water in the tub and then concentrated on Azure's slim form, who was standing there looking at him, with a mischievous look in her eyes.

"I know what you are thinking, my love," he said giving her a lopsided grin, his eyes twinkling, "but I won't make love to you until I'm clean, so don't even try tempting me."

"Oh, I wasn't going to tempt you. I wanted to wash your back and maybe give you a massage...I know how very tired you must be, my love," she replied, taking the washcloth from his hand and soap as well.

He tried to protest, but she lathered his back and used the washcloth to scrub it and it felt so good, that Alistair just sat there and allowed her to continue her ministrations on his aching body.

After a while, he actually nodded out, and woke only when the tip of his nose touched the water.

"Ah, my love, you are falling asleep. Allow me to bathe you properly," she crooned.

He did not protest, and let her lather him, but suddenly jolted, wide awake, when she touched his manhood, which was rapidly growing as her hands gently washed it.

"Maker's breath!" Alistair managed to get out, as she stroked and suddenly his hands came up to touch her and he found out when he finally got a good look at her, that she was completely naked.

He pulled her into the warm water, and she straddled him, still lathering him and intent on finishing her task. He laughed softly and showered her neck with kisses. She pushed him away.

"No, my dear Warden. No love making remember? Don't tell me you don't follow your own rules?" She shook her head disapprovingly at him.

Alistair made a sound that resembled a growl as he lunged at her, and she moved away quickly. Soon there was water all over the floor as it spilled over the tub.

She threw some water on him and he did the same, and soon they were laughing and playing like two children.

She leapt out of the tub and ran off to get the towels, Alistair in pursuit, finally catching up to her. He placed the towel around her lovingly and proceeded to caress and dry her at the same time, while she dried him in turn.

They exchanged kisses every now and then as they dried themselves, and soon their kisses got more passionate and they found themselves inching towards the bed as they continued to touch and dry each other.

When they finally reached the bed, their towels long discarded along the way, they contained themselves no longer, and it was a long time before either of them fell asleep.


	16. What, Me King?

**Many thanks to Jinx1983 and Harmakhis for their fabulous reviews! :D **

**This chapter sets the scene for various events that will happen later. **

**Enjoy! Oh, and Bioware still owns, by the way. ;) **

Chapter 16 - What, me king?

They found the golem in a town called Honnleath, on the way back to Redcliffe.

Shale was an interesting addition to their mismatched group. Oghren and Shale bickered along the way, and Azure giggled at their bantering. Shale was more dangerous than she looked, and just slaughtered every bird that got close. She talked a lot to Azure, and gradually she and the golem became friends.

Oghren drank and belched and called Alistair a pike twirler.

The first time he did that, Alistair blushed furiously and could not think of a suitable retort. Everyone laughed at the name, and the name stuck. Aedan would call him a pike twirler whenever he could, laughing as he did. Alistair's reaction was priceless.

They had become a family of sorts, and grown closer. It surprised Azure, however, when she found her brother talking to Zevran a great deal. She still shied away from him whenever possible and thought that Aedan was simply crazy for befriending the elven assassin.

"I think you're crazy!" She shot at him.

Aedan grinned. "Whatever are you so worked up about now, dear sister?"

"You've made friends with Zevran! You're crazy!" She retorted, glaring at him.

"He's not as bad as he seems to be. It's a cover up. Underneath that sleazy exterior is a heart of gold."

"Not impressed, and no, don't think so either." The words were spoken with conviction.

Aedan simply suggested that she should give him a chance. Azure glared at him and then turned to the fire, where Alistair sat, attempting to have a conversation with Oghren.

Oghren eyed her blearily and belched. He then turned to Alistair and whispered in a very loud voice, which everyone in camp could hear clearly.

"What did you do with her legs?"

Alistair blushed, knowing full well what he meant but asked anyway. "Whose legs?"

"_Her _legs?" He pointed to Azure, his arm nearly toppling him over in the process.

"I don't know what you-"

"Ah! Say no more, lad! Just got them out of the way and continued with your business, eh? Good on you, son!"

"Er...thanks. I guess..." Alistair finished lamely and decided it was time to leave Oghren to his drink.

...

They ran into a small group of darkspawn just before they reached Redcliffe. Alistair stood before Azure holding out his shield and bashed into one, and try as she might, Azure could not even get close to any of the darkspawn. Either Aedan or Alistair got there first, and when the battle ended, she felt really angry.

"Really, you two! I don't need bodyguards you know!" She glared at them both.

"Azure, you have to know that if you become infected with the Taint, you could die," her brother told her seriously.

"Aedan we could _all_ die!" She yelled.

"Love, you have to understand that we are merely just-"

"UGH! Fine! Fine!" She stomped away.

"So how long has it been since you two..." Aedan began.

Alistair's eyes widened. "I can't believe you are actually asking me this!"

"Well, it's a known fact that people get edgy when they don't -"

"Stop!" Alistair raised his hand. "I don't want to hear it!"

They set up camp for the night, and Alistair approached Azure carefully. She was sitting away from everyone else, and was evidently still very angry.

"My love," he began.

"Go away, Alistair!"

He sat down beside her, ignoring her command. Probably not a very smart thing to do.

_Yes, well, Morrigan keeps saying you're not smart, so what else is new? _

"Let me explain some Grey Warden things to you, so that you can understand better."

"I'm listening," she said after a while.

"First of all, if you swallow even the tiniest bit of the Taint, you become infected. This will spread and since we cannot put you through the Joining to make you a Grey Warden, you will die. Neither Aedan nor I want you to die."

"Why can't you put me through the Joining, if it would save my life?" She asked curiously.

"Because we haven't got the things we need to conduct a proper Joining, that's why. We don't even know how to do it. Duncan never explained this to me."

"I see..." Azure replied, staring at the ground.

"My love, I know we haven't been together as much as I would like to, but I wanted to tell you a few things so you can decide if marrying me is really what you want to do."

"Are you backing out of your proposal, Alistair?"

"Maker's breath! No! I couldn't do that!" He exclaimed. "I just want you to be really sure," he added sadly and she noticed that the fear was back in his eyes. The same look he had had when he asked her to marry him.

"All right, what is it that you want to say then?"

"Grey Wardens don't have a normal lifespan. We live thirty years after the Joining, give or take. I wanted you to know this, before we get married. Even though I have twenty-nine years left to live, I'm glad I'll be living them with you. If you still want me, that is..."

She sat there, slightly shocked at his words. She would survive him and he would die...the thought was like a dagger to her heart.

"I see," Azure seemed to be stuck on those two words.

"The end...my end, will be away from you, I'm afraid. As we approach our end, we start having terrible nightmares. And we have to follow our path. It leads us back to Orzammar, to the Deep Roads, where we go to fight the darkspawn one last time. It's a good death, I guess, killing as many of them as we can before we perish. If I were to stay by your side, I would probably turn into something ugly because the Taint would change me. So I have to leave for Orzammar as soon as the nightmares get really bad," he finished miserably.

Azure felt the tears fall before she even realized they were falling.

So, that was it. She only had twenty-nine years to love and live with this wonderful man beside her.

She ground her teeth and a look of determination came to her eyes.

"If that is what happens, then so be it. I will give you the best twenty-nine years of your life, Alistair." She said fiercely.

He gave a sob and gathered her into his arms, holding her close.

...

Arl Eamon was cured. They stood around him in the main hall, and he promised them aid for the Blight. However, there was a problem, and that problem as they all very well knew was Loghain.

The arl had a solution to it. He announced to everyone in the room that the only way was to have Alistair bid for the throne. Alistair was a Theirin and he was the rightful king of Ferelden. Anora was a commoner, who had married Cailan and was now queen because of this.

Alistair's angry voice shouted at the arl and this surprised Aedan.

"I don't want to be king! There is no way I will take the throne! And you can't make me!"

But it was Aedan who turned to him and tried to reason with him.

"Alistair, Loghain is the regent. The only way to defeat him now would be to have you bid for the throne, so Eamon can call for a Landsmeet. You are the rightful heir anyway."

"No! I don't want to be king! I just want to be a Grey Warden! I'm _**not**_ going to be king!"

And with those words, Alistair turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the doors behind him.

...

The things on a table in the room rattled a bit when the door slammed. Otherwise, it was very quiet.

Eamon spoke first. "I must admit that that is not the boy I remember. Yet his temper is still very familiar to me."

"I'll talk to him," Aedan offered, but Azure held out her hand and put it on his arm.

"You already have," she said. "I'll talk to him."

And she turned and left the room.

She found him at the dock, throwing stones in the water, and she could see he was seething.

"Trying to build a dam, are we?" She said as she stood beside him.

He scoffed at this, but did not turn to look at her.

"I know why you are here, and it won't work. My mind is made up and I'm a very stubborn man," he said.

"Oh, I'm not here to convince you of anything, Alistair. In fact I happen to agree with you. You shouldn't do what you don't want to do," she said, looking at the lake and the ships in the distance.

He turned to her, disbelief on his face. "What? You're actually saying I shouldn't be king then?"

"You don't have to do what Eamon tells you. You should do what you want," she repeated calmly.

His eyes narrowed. "And yet, I feel a 'but' coming..." he said.

She smiled. "Not a 'but', merely a plan. If you _pretend_ to take the throne, it would be the same. Only at the end, you suggest Anora rule instead of you and support her. In front of the entire Landsmeet. In the meantime, your bid to the throne would be a blow to Loghain. One that could shake the security of his world. We get rid of Loghain and you walk away, a Grey Warden, just like you want to. We just have to make sure that the Landsmeet votes against him first. I'm pretty sure I can help to sway the nobles to vote against Loghain."

He grinned at her, and gave a laugh, his eyes relieved.

"You should have been queen," he said, still grinning.

"That is exactly what mother used to say," she said, and brought her face up to his in a kiss.

...

Eamon smiled down at Alistair.

"Glad to see you've realized that bidding for the throne is something necessary in order for me to call for a Landsmeet, my boy."

"Yes, well," Alistair shrugged. "I still don't like the idea, but I understand that we do have to get rid of Loghain and Anora."

Azure smiled when she heard those words.

"Now then, before I contact my allies and let them know about the Landsmeet plans, I believe I still have to deal about another problem, Teagan. The mage is still here, is he not?"

"Yes, brother."

"Have him brought here, I wish to speak to him."

Teagan nodded and left the room, returning a few moments later with Jowan.

"Jowan, you tried to poison me and set into motion events that nearly destroyed my family and people. What do you have to say about this?"

"Nothing my Lord. Only that I am truly sorry," Jowan bowed his head as he waited for Eamon's verdict.

"I see. Grey Warden do you have anything to add?" He said, turning to Aedan.

"No, my Lord," Aedan said.

At that moment, Azure stepped forward, planting herself firmly in front of Jowan, and looking directly at Eamon.

"Azure!" Her brother hissed somewhere behind her.

She ignored him.

"My Lord. This man should be set free," she said in a clear voice.

Eamon regarded her with a slightly bemused expression.

"Oh? And why is that?" He asked.

"This man saved me from certain death, my Lord. If it wasn't for him, I would not be standing here today."

"Yet he tried to poison me," Eamon answered back evenly.

"I realize this, my Lord. But surely you must understand that it is Loghain himself behind this treachery? Jowan is but a misguided puppet in all this. Loghain has the power to convince men and women that the Grey Wardens are responsible for the king's death, thus setting the stage for a civil war. So, I truly believe that Jowan was just as mistaken as all the people who believe Loghain and support him. He is the true culprit in this affair, not Jowan."

Nobody spoke for a long time. Eamon was regarding the young woman before him curiously, his eyebrows knitted together.

"This is unexpected," were the first words he said, his features relaxing considerably. "Would you prefer that I release him then?"

"Yes, my Lord. He is an apostate. If he succeeds in escaping, then so be it. But the Templars could catch up with him as well. Let Fate dictate what becomes of him."

Eamon nodded at this. "Wisely spoken," he said and then turned to Jowan. "Jowan, I am hereby releasing you."

"Thank you, my Lord, and thank you my Lady. I won't forget this," he bowed before Azure, and she smiled back at him.

Then he left the room.

"You are Bryce Cousland's youngest daughter, are you not?" Eamon's gaze was focused on Azure.

"Yes, my Lord."

"You remind me so much of your father," he murmured, but everyone in the room heard him. "You are indeed his daughter." He gave her a genuine smile.

...

They stayed in the castle for a few days, resting and preparing to head east to try to find the Dalish elves.

During that time, Azure tried to be with Alistair as much as she could and would seek out ways to tease and lure him into her bedroom. As a Teyrn's daughter, she had been given another room out of respect for a noble of her stature. Something she hated with all her heart.

Alistair enjoyed his visits to her room far more than he thought possible. He had finally finished the book Aedan gave him and soon he was experimenting all sorts of wonderfully sinful things the book suggested. It helped that Azure had read the book too and they had fun exploring all the possibilities the book described.

They made love freely and carelessly. Azure had found out from Aedan that it was very difficult for Grey Wardens to have children, and it made her bolder and more brazen when it came to sex with Alistair. This delighted him and he thought he had never been happier.

She remembered the day when she had first arrived at the castle and the memory of the object she had found in the arl's desk suddenly came to her mind.

Breaking away from Alistair's arms, she rushed to her backpack, and took out an amulet. She rushed back to bed, shivering slightly. It was cold in the room, despite the fire that roared in the fireplace.

She took his hand and placed the amulet in his palm.

His eyes opened wide as he gazed at it, he seemed too lost for words to say anything at first.

"This- this is my mother's amulet! It has to be! But it isn't broken! Where did you find this?"

"I found it in the arl's study, when we were here the first time, but I shoved it in my pack and forgot I had it, or I would have given it to you sooner."

"Then, this means that he found it after I smashed it at the wall, and he repaired it and kept it. Why would he do something like that?" His eyes, full of awe were upon her, and she smiled.

"I think you do not give yourself enough credit, Alistair. You are truly a wonderful person. Is it so difficult to believe you mean something to him?"

He smiled at her then, and his love for her shone brightly in his eyes.

"Oh, my love, you have no idea how happy this makes me! I thought I'd lost this for sure!" He swept her into his arms and showered her hair and cheeks with kisses.

"I think you'll have to show me how happy it makes you, hmmm?" She purred and he laughed. One of his eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Hmmm, I guess you're right," he said, taking her in his arms.

By the time he had finished 'showing' her, Azure wished she had a million more amulets like the one she had just given him.


	17. Surprise

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Chapter 17 - Surprise

The last group to recruit were the Dalish elves. They ones they found were one of the clans, who had not yet moved north with the rest. They had their own problems to deal with and had stayed put.

Aedan and the rest of the group had to battle with a different kind of enemy this time around. The Dalish had been ambushed by a group of werewolves and had been inflicted with the curse.

When they had learned the truth about it all, and that Zathrian, the keeper, was to blame for all the mess they were in, it was Azure who had convinced Zathrian to finally lift the curse and finally bring peace and a cure to all the Dalish that had been infected.

The elves promised to aid them against the Blight and they had finally recruited all the allies they needed.

They marched back to Redcliffe with the news, and the arl informed them that he would arrange for all of them to set out for Denerim the next morning.

...

Morrigan held Aedan tightly as she felt his release.

He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder for a few moments, then rolled off her and to the side.

She regarded him under her long lashes, lost in her thoughts.

The truth is that Aedan had changed and she was not sure of the reason behind the change. It bothered her, because she felt she didn't have the same power over him like she thought she had at the beginning of their relationship.

She had thought that she would be able to win him over after the old nosy mage had practically torn them apart, but was surprised when Aedan had come back to her on his own.

He was not the man he once had been in her arms. He still had the same quirky smile when she moved her body close to him, brushing against him while her hands sought his erection. He still hungered for her, desire making his hazel eyes dark as he undressed her.

But he was not the same man.

This bothered her immensely. Particularly because it endangered her future.

She had come this far because of what Flemeth had told her to do and she would do it, come hell or high water. But now that Flemeth had died at his hands, she had to do it simply because she needed to do it.

She had to do it for _herself_.

She turned over several reasons for his subtle change towards her and could not find any. She suddenly felt insecure, and wished to have her mother's knowledge of the future. Alas, it was the one thing she could never have, as she did not have a demon living in her like Flemeth had.

She turned and her golden eyes rested on Aedan's sleeping form.

_Why have you changed, Aedan? What are you really thinking about as you lay in my arms each night?_

...

As soon as they arrived in Denerim, a guard told them that Loghain wanted an audience with the arl.

Alistair, Azure, Aedan and Leliana were the ones that reached the main hall first following the arl closely.

Loghain walked in, with Ser Cauthrian and Howe close behind him.

Rendon Howe started visibly when he saw Aedan, but his eyes focused on Azure. So it was true. The young bitch who had escaped his men was now standing before him, eying him defiantly and very much alive. He gave her a sneer, and she smirked.

"Loghain. It is an honor that you would find the time to visit me personally," the arl spoke, sarcasm lading his words.

"I've come to talk you out of your foolish notion of calling for a Landsmeet. I cannot believe you'd do something like this when a Blight threatens the land." Loghain's icy stare held Eamon's cold blue one.

"The Blight is exactly why I am here. The people of Ferelden deserve someone of the Theirin bloodline to guide them through this Blight. Alistair will take his father's throne and lead them to victory." Eamon said firmly.

"Oh, is that all I have to do?" Alistair grinned. "No pressure."

"The throne belongs to Maric's only living son," Azure said quietly. Although she was talking to Loghain, her gaze was focused on Howe.

"Ah, another Grey Warden." Loghain broke into a laugh. Howe and Cauthrian joined him. "I was not talking to you."

"Don't interrupt your betters when they are talking, churl," Ser Cauthrian sneered.

"Don't you dare call my sister a churl," Aedan stepped forward, his hand already reaching for the sword on his back.

"Well, that's what she is," drawled Howe. "A churl, now that Highever is rightfully mine."

"I demand blood rights!" Azure yelled. "This man slaughtered my entire family and captured me. One of his soldiers nearly raped me!"

Howe laughed. "A pity you ran away, you bitch. Though that can be remedied," he threatened, and Alistair took a step forward, his face contorted with rage.

"How dare you speak to her this way!" He said through clenched teeth.

"Enough!" Both Loghain and Eamon yelled the word, and everyone froze.

"I cannot forgive what you have done, Loghain! Maybe the Maker can, but not I."

"Do not think that I cannot win. The Emperor of Orlais also thought he could best me, and died. There is nothing I would not do for Ferelden!"

With those words, Loghain turned and left, Howe and Cauthrian following him closely behind.

"Well, that was close. You cannot afford to place yourself in Loghain's hands, Alistair. We need you. You have to stay out of this as much as you can." Eamon berated him.

"I won't stand by and watch him insult my fiancée," Alistair shot back, still upset. "I don't care about the throne if it means she is to be insulted or in danger. So you'd better get used to it, Eamon. Nobody insults or touches my Azure. Nobody."

He spun around and left the room, heading for his room. Eamon stared after him, with a confused expression on his face. He turned to Azure.

"You two are betrothed?" He asked her.

"Yes we are. Is that a problem?" She asked.

"No, of course not, my Lady. You are the daughter of one of the most respected teryns in Ferelden. It would be a most convenient match, to be sure."

Azure then felt a strong dislike for this man.

"Convenience has nothing to do with it," she said as she continued to watch him closely.

"What do we do now?" Aedan questioned.

"I suggest you visit the city and try to find out from the nobles already gathered here whether they support Loghain or not. We need ears and eyes in the city. When you are done, please come to my sitting room. We have to discuss our plans for the Landsmeet later on."

They both nodded as he walked away.

Aedan turned to his sister. "We'll get him, Azure. I promise."

...

"Alistair, Aedan is waiting for us. He wants to look around Denerim, and visit the Gnawed Noble Tavern to see if he can find out more about the nobles who are already here."

"Yes, of course, m y love," Alistair stood up and took her in his arms. He ran his hands through her hair and down her back.

"If you continue doing that, I won't be able to control myself, and Aedan would be waiting for a while," she smirked.

"Would that be so terrible?" He murmured, trailing kisses down her neck.

"He has a bad temper. Don't you remember his temper, love?"

"Oh, right!" He stopped his kissing and took her hand. "We'd best be off then!"

She giggled and they walked out of the room to join Aedan who was waiting in the main hall, talking to Zevran and Leliana.

"Hey, good thing you both are here. I decided to take these two along. They are both excellent rogues, and I'm sure they have eyes and ears that would help us to gather some information on Loghain. "

"Great idea, Aedan," Alistair grinned.

They turned and left the estate, eager to be off and hopeful to find out which nobles were supporting Loghain.

...

Aedan remembered there were other things to deal with once they left the Tavern, so he urged the others to come along.

So far what they had heard in the tavern had not been that bad. At least half of the nobles were unsure of supporting Loghain and only one of them supported him completely.

They were walking through one of Denerim's many back alleys, when they were ambushed by a bunch of Crows.

Their leader, Taliesen wanted Zevran to return to the Crows, and help him kill the Grey Wardens before he did. Zevran refused and stood up to him, something that shocked Azure. She did not have time to say anything on this, because soon they were fighting and she had to focus on the fight.

When the fight ended, Zevran asked Aedan if he could leave.

"I really need your help, Zev. I wish you could stay."

"Oh? I suppose there are worse things to do than defend the world, right?"

"I ask that you stay as a friend," Aedan replied.

"Then let the Crows bring it on. I will not abandon you," Zevran said.

And Azure finally realized that her brother had been right about Zevran and smiled.

...

They were fighting a group of bandits when it happened. One moment they were all together and the next, Azure was gone.

Alistair finished off the last bandit and turned around to face the others. His eyes slowly widened when he realized that she was nowhere to be found.

"Azure?" He called. Then raised his voice. "Azure! Where are you?"

They searched the alleys and knocked on houses.

It was useless. Azure had vanished.

Alistair was beside himself with worry and dread.

"What's happened to her? How can she simply vanish like this?" Alistair demanded. But nobody could answer his questions.

"I think I know where she could be," Aedan said after giving it some thought. "She must have been taken by Howe's men while we were distracted fighting the bandits."

"I wouldn't be surprised if the 'bandits' were really put here by Howe, so he could succeed in having her kidnapped," Zevran added.

"What do we do? He'll kill her for sure!" Alistair said, his voice nearly breaking with worry and frustration.

"I don't think he'll kill her, Alistair. He probably wants something in return, so clearly he will contact us."

"We can't wait for him to contact us! We must rescue her!" Alistair shouted frantically.

"We must alert the arl, and plan what to do," Aedan answered him, patting his back. "Come Alistair, we will prepare a rescue mission. Let's just get back to Eamon and see what we can do from there."

Alistair nodded dumbly, visibly shaken.

...

When they arrived at Eamon's sitting room, they saw he wasn't alone. There was an elf with him.

When they found out that Anora was being held prisoner at Howe's estate, Aedan grinned.

"Two birds with one stone!" He said.

"What's that?" Eamon asked, turning a questioning glance at Aedan.

"My sister has been taken. She vanished while we were fighting against some bandits. We think Howe was responsible for the set up and her kidnapping. She is probably there, a prisoner in his estate." Aedan explained.

"Then you must set off to rescue both. We cannot let Howe get away with this. Rescuing the queen must be our priority. If Loghain murders her and does succeed in pinning her murder on me, we are doomed." Eamon said.

"Azure is important here, Eamon," Alistair growled. "The queen is simply there to rescue _after_ we've found her."

"Of course, I understand," Eamon said, but he sounded like he didn't understand at all. Alistair wondered if he even loved Isolde at that moment. Eamon didn't seem to be as fatherly as he remembered him to be. As a matter of fact, right now, he looked like he was a person who was seeking only what was convenient to him.

"I have some guard uniforms," Erlina said. "I will wait for you at the Arl of Denerim's estate. Please come as soon as you can."

She walked away and they turned to Aedan.

"This is certainly a trap. First my sister, now the queen. Does Howe really think we're that stupid?" He shook his head with a smile.

He turned to his group, and urged them on.

"Come on. We set out at once." He said, his smile widening into a grin.


	18. Rescue

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Chapter 18 - Rescue

Aedan organized everybody. They were to stay alert as he knew very well that this was a trap. This thought had him worried. Alistair did not want to be king. But if Anora was part of the trap then it spoke volumes about what she really was like.

"Alistair," Aedan said to him as they trotted along, eager to arrive to the Arl of Denerim's estate. "You are aware this is a trap?"

Alistair was looking exceedingly upset. He hoped that Azure had not been hurt, and this thought had him tense and ready to kill anyone that had so much laid a finger on her.

"Yes, I'm aware."

"Do you understand that this means that Anora is not really prisoner?"

"Yes, I gathered as much. I'm not really that stupid you know, you shouldn't believe what Morrigan says," he practically snarled at Aedan.

"No need to bite my head off. It's my sister in there, you know!" Aedan said.

"Sorry," he answered back contritely. "I'm just a little upset right now. If they hurt her, they're dead."

The look in his eyes and the passion with which he spoke were enough for Aedan, who fell silent after that. He decided it was better not to talk to Alistair right now about what it meant that Anora was in cahoots with Howe and her father, but didn't doubt that Alistair already knew that he truly was the best option for the throne right now.

The group finally reached the estate. Erlina waited for them on the side, while a large group of disgruntled people were protesting violently at the main doors.

Erlina told them that they must go around to the back and to follow her, so they did as she asked.

After battling some guards that were sent to arrest them for trespassing they arrived at the back entrance. Two guards were standing on either side of the door, keeping watch.

"You must wait in the bushes while I go and distract the guards," Erlina said.

"Why bother? There are only two of them," Aedan told her.

"If they are reported missing, they will attract the other guards who patrol every hour, and they will know something is amiss."

"Wait, we need to put on our disguises," Aedan said.

"Hurry!" Erlina hissed. "My lady does not have much time!"

They disguised themselves and waited patiently in the bushes.

"Ah, so how is it that the elven maiden knew that more guards patrol every hour, hmm?" Zevran whispered to Aedan, who smiled back at him and nodded.

From their hiding places, they saw Erlina guide the guards into the courtyard, which was away from the back door. They moved in and went through the door, waiting for Erlina to come back, which she did a few minutes later.

"Ugh! It took me forever to get rid of those two! Now, be very careful here. The servants will not know you, but if you call attention to yourselves while we are heading over to where my queen is kept prisoner, the guards may see you as strangers. You must not do anything to make them suspicious."

"Where is Anora?" Aedan whispered back.

"She is in a guest room off the main hall. Andraste guide our steps!"

Aedan and Alistair exchanged glances. Then he turned and surveyed the rest of the group. Leliana, Zevran and Morrigan looked back at him calm and ready.

They walked all the way, very calmly, without stopping or looking at anyone.

When they arrived at the door to the room where Anora was being held, Alistair turned to whisper to Aedan, while Erlina greeted the queen.

"The door, it's sealed by magic."

Aedan nodded to Alistair, and soon he was talking to Anora through the door, keeping his distance all the same.

Anora told them the same thing Alistair had revealed to Aedan moments before. Erlina then begged him to help the queen.

"This sounds like a trap," Aedan said.

"Please Warden! I beg you! Do not abandon her!" Erlina was close to tears.

"Help me, and I will promise you aid in the Landsmeet," Anora's voice said.

He grinned. Just how stupid did they think he was anyway?

He agreed, and was told where Howe was. Find Howe, and you'll find the mage, they both said.

Aedan could not contain his joy at this streak of good luck. It looked like he was finally going to be able to kill the bastard after all.

They set out for Howe's chambers, Aedan grinning all the way.

...

Howe was not in his rooms, which was a bit of a disappointment to Aedan. However, he made use of his time there, and proceeded to look for any clues of his sister's whereabouts. He found some documents in a chest, which had the Grey Warden seal on them and showed them to Alistair.

"What is Howe doing with this?" Alistair asked, when he saw them.

"I have no idea, but I doubt it's anything good," was Aedan's comment.

Zevran was busying himself with a desk at the corner. He managed to go through a number of papers, but nothing on where Azure was being held prisoner.

"Andraste's flaming sword!" Alistair exclaimed. He was now beside himself with worry.

"I think he may have burned anything that would incriminate him," Aedan said frowning.

"That is what any noble man would do, no?" Zevran said, a smile on his lips. "But I do not think that this is what is happening here. Howe would keep papers, to later use them for something else, like blackmail...if the need should arise, of course."

They watched as his hands ran underneath the desk, and suddenly a click was heard as a hidden drawer snapped out.

"Ah, these desks are alike everywhere," he snickered.

Aedan was at Zevran's side immediately.

"What's this? Hello!" He grinned. There were papers in his hands which he looked at and handed to Alistair immediately. He gave Zevran a grateful pat on his back. "Thanks, Zev, you are truly a genius," he said warmly.

The elven assassin smirked, looking very pleased with himself.

The papers were incriminating, to say the least. Along with copies of the people Howe had hired to kidnap her, there was a copy of an order to take her to the dungeons below the estate. Alistair shoved the papers into his pack.

"Howe has dungeons here? That bastard!" Alistair exclaimed. "We must hurry and get her out of there!"

They all walked towards a door at the back of the room.

Aedan opened it. Before them stood a long flight of stairs heading downwards.

"Here we go," Aedan said, and they all followed him down the stairs into the semi-darkness below.

...

They looked in each and every room in that dungeon, which was very large to say the least, battling and killing all the guards they found along the way.

Alistair was looking worse as they moved along and he looked like he was about to cry when they found a torture chamber and someone lying on a wooden torture rack. Fortunately it was not Azure but the son of a noble who revealed he had been imprisoned because he was against Loghain and Howe.

They set him free, and Aedan made sure that he should ask his father to side with him at the Landsmeet before he left.

They walked on and reached one of the places where there were prisoners. Alistair hacked into the guards, and ran ahead to the cells, but Azure wasn't there. He was frantic by now.

They freed an elf who had been unfairly kept prisoner by Vaughn Kendall, the son of the previous Arl of Denerim. The elf told them exactly what kind of man this Vaughn was, and Aedan felt angry at Kendall for treating the elves so badly and raping the elven women. He wished he could do more about it. They also found a man who was being kept prisoner. The poor man was mad, but Aedan freed him anyway, and told him to go somewhere safe.

"Aedan, let's go!" Alistair urged.

They finally reached the very last door in the dungeon. If Howe was anywhere, he had to be here.

Aedan took a deep breath and broke into a run, bursting into the room, followed closely by Alistair.

Howe stood there grinning. Two mages and five soldiers stood around him, all ready to attack the group. Behind Aedan, Morrigan cackled as she whipped out her staff.

"Well, well. Aedan Cousland. I never expected to find you here. Surely you are smarter than to fall for the trap the queen laid out for you?" He chuckled. "Well, I never expected you to live, either."

"Disappointed, are you? It won't be the last time you are, you traitorous bastard," came Aedan's reply, full of venom and hatred.

"Is this about your family? Still? But I have done more than wipe them out of Ferelden history and memory. Your little sister is, after all, a favorite of mine. Such aggressiveness and passion."

Alistair growled, and made a move to attack, but Aedan flung out an arm and stopped him.

"No more shadows or lies, Howe. This is between you and me," Aedan said, and readied himself in a defensive position, shield and sword already out.

"It appears you have made something out of yourself after all. Your father would be proud," Howe drawled with fake indifference. "I, on the other hand, want you dead more than ever."

Aedan let out a bellow. His rage took over and he let it, just like Oghren had taught him. Alistair started for a moment when he saw him. A beserker! Well, that certainly suited Aedan. He smiled briefly before focusing on the mage nearest him and bashed his shield into him.

The fight was long, but ended in victory for the group. Aedan stood before Howe, who sputtered at him venomously before he died.

"Maker spit on you! I... deserved...more!"

Nobody said anything for a few moments, but it was Alistair who ran to Howe. It was Alistair who searched his pockets until he found what he was looking for. And Alistair who ran to a door at the end of the room and unlocked and opened it.

More cells. Alistair ignored the occupants in two of them and let Aedan take care of it. He continued down the long corridor looking carefully into each cell. He finally reached the last cell where he saw a small naked female figure lying on the floor. His breath hitched and fear gripped his heart .

Azure was lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing. Aside from her cuts and bruises, he could see the bone in her right arm sticking right out.

He hurried into the cell, taking her gently in his arms.

"Aedan!" He called out urgently. "There is a robe in my pack. Quick! Get it out!"

Aedan did as he was told and stood by quietly as Alistair draped the robe around her as gently as he could.

"Morrigan," Alistair said, his voice shaking.

She stepped forward and scanned her, and immediately applied some healing spells on her. After a few moments, the bone was set in its place with an audible crack and her open wounds started to knit together.

Alistair brushed away her blood-matted hair, which was stuck to her face. She was very pale. He brushed away the tears that had already started to fall down his face and waited.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes and saw him looking down at her.

"Am I dreaming? Alistair, is that really you?" She croaked, and he nodded before he held her closely, giving a sigh of relief.

"Oh, my love, thank the Maker!" He murmured.

"We must hurry, and get out of here," Aedan said. "Can you walk, Azure?"

"I don't know," she said uncertainly. "But I know my things must be in the other room, they undressed me...there..." She shuddered against Alistair's chest, remembering the horror she had been through. "I tried to resist..." her voice broke.

"Shhhh, it's all right. I've got you. You're safe now," Alistair crooned as he held her gently.

Aedan came back holding her leather armor, which was cut in different places. It would have to do for now. Alistair helped her dress slowly but gently. Once she was fully dressed, she tried to walk, but he did not let her.

"No, my love. Let me carry you."

"Only till we reach the top floor, love. I have a feeling this isn't over yet," she said darkly.

"I hope not. I still have a lot of killing to do here," he answered back, anger flashing in his eyes briefly.

...

And kill they did. They dispatched all of Howe's guards and mabari hounds, leaving death in their wake as they advanced.

Only when they had checked and made sure that no one was left standing did they make their way back to the room where Anora was kept. Azure was standing and walking on her own accord now, but was still very pale, and Alistair kept a close watch over her.

Aedan opened the door to Anora's room.

"My thanks," Anora said in a small voice. "We must get out and quickly. If Howe's men find me here, they will kill me. And if I go back to the palace my father's guards will certainly kill me."

Aedan snorted. "Howe's men are all dead. And I don't really believe they would kill you. But you are right about one thing, we should get out of here."

Anora paled slightly and nodded.

They walked into the main hall and found themselves surrounded by Ser Cauthrien, a great many soldiers and a mage.

"Grey Warden, I am placing you under arrest! Surrender, and we will let your companions go."

"I am here to rescue the queen who was held prisoner by Howe," Aedan said, and turned to Anora, who blanched.

"Ser Cauthrien! Thank the Maker you are here! This brigand kidnapped me!"

"Why you lying traitorous bitch!"Aedan spit out.

"What?" Ser Cauthrien said in shock. "My queen, what are you doing here?"

Aedan took one look at his sister, who was leaning heavily on Alistair and made a decision.

"I'll go with you quietly, if you let them free. My sister has been held captive here against her will and tortured horribly. She needs more healing and rest."

"Very well, Warden. Come along with me. Men, take the other Warden as well," Cauthrien said as she made a move to arrest Alistair.

"No! I'm the one you want. I'm the leader. It is I who Loghain wants. I killed Howe! They were merely following my orders," Aedan protested, standing in front of Alistair and Azure.

Cauthrien debated on this for a few moments.

"What?" Alistair said. "You're going to give yourself up? Surrender to Loghain and his lackeys? We've come this far. I say we attack and be rid of them. _She_," he pointed at Cauthrien, "insulted Azure. She has to pay for that."

Before Aedan had a chance to answer, Alistair whipped out his shield and sword and ran towards Cauthrien who shouted the order to attack.

**A/N: Don't you all just love Alistair in charge? *sighs* **


	19. Mind Games

**Many thanks to Harmakhis and her fabulous review! :D **

**I didn't like writing this chapter at all. I hate this part of the game, and always wished I could slap or kill Anora, lol**

**Bioware owns! :D **

Chapter 19 - Mind Games

Alistair did not stop till he had neatly severed Cauthrien's head, and even then, he whirled around to see what Azure was up to. She was being attacked by one of the soldiers, so he promptly rushed in and started an assault on him that ended up with him dead. She asked him to cover her, and he held his shield up in front of her immediately while she closed her eyes and focused.

A poisonous spider dropped down beside her and went off to attack the soldiers at her command.

The mage was locked in combat with Morrigan, who was enjoying herself immensely. He tried to set a cone of cold spell on her and succeeded in freezing two of Loghain's men in the attempt, which she found hilarious. Alistair's shield bashed into one of the frozen soldiers and he shattered into a hundred pieces, dying instantly. The other one thawed only to find himself bitten and killed by the spider, which then moved onto the archers.

The archers were the ones that were giving them trouble, as their crossbows dealt a lot of damage. Following Aedan's orders, they fell into a defensive tactic: Alistair and Aedan held their shields up together to get close to them forming a wall of sorts, while Leliana and Morrigan stayed close behind them both and attacked.

In the meantime, both Azure and Zevran worked together. Using stealth, they vanished and reappeared behind each target, dealing deadly blows and critical strikes to each soldier who was then finished off by the spider.

They all followed this same pattern, never wavering or breaking and after a long battle managed to kill each and every one of them.

"We must get to the market square, collect our earnings from the Chantry board and from there to the Gnawed Noble Tavern," said Aedan. "It's time to pay the nobles a visit and sway their votes."

"We must bring Anora down!" Azure exclaimed. "There is no way that the people of Ferelden will be better off with her if she rules alone! She cares only about herself..."

"I agree," said Alistair pulling her close. "My becoming king seems to be the best option." He smiled down at her. "Are you ready to become queen for real, my love?"

She grinned up at him, her green eyes twinkling.

"Oh, I think I might be up to it," she said.

...

Aedan and the rest trudged wearily to the arl's estate. Even though it was still the afternoon, they were ready to wash up, eat and rest. It had been a long day for them and Azure was still looking pale, even though she insisted she was fine.

Alistair was not convinced, and wanted Wynne to take a closer look at her.

They went up to their rooms where they got ready to bathe and change for dinner. Wynne was called into Azure's room by Alistair, and she scanned her. She discovered that another healing spell would not be a bad idea and immediately went to work.

When she was done, she smiled at the couple and left, meeting a servant on her way out who was just about to knock on the door.

"Begging your pardon, my lady. I was ordered to come and see if you wanted hot water drawn for a bath."

"That would be lovely thanks," Azure smiled warmly.

"And you, my Lord?"

"Yes, of course," Alistair said smiling as well.

"Begging your pardon again, but the arl would like to see you, and your lady as soon as possible in his sitting room. I have to deliver the same message to Lord Cousland, so I must make haste."

"Certainly, go right ahead."

They kissed each other deeply as soon as they were alone, but Azure pushed Alistair away gently when things started to heat up.

"Let's just go see what Eamon wants first, my love," she told him softly.

He groaned in protest, but followed her out of the room nevertheless.

...

Aedan, Alistair and Azure, stood before Eamon Guerrin totally shocked and speechless. Queen Anora was standing beside him, looking at them with innocent big blue eyes.

Alistair was the first of the three to react. "What is _she_ doing her, Eamon?" He demanded.

Eamon faltered under Alistair's stern gaze for a moment, and looked at him with confusion.

"Am I missing something here?" He asked.

"Thanks to _her_, Ser Cauthrien and Loghain's men nearly killed us!" Alistair replied angrily.

"Well, what did you expect me to do, Alistair? Announce myself to my father's most trusted lackey?" Anora retorted. "Did the purpose of my disguise escape you?" She sneered.

"Are we supposed to believe that?" Azure shot back.

Anora ignored Azure completely and turned to Aedan. Alistair saw this and bristled visibly, yet he held his tongue and waited to see what she would say.

"I am hoping that despite our unfortunate beginning, we can still manage to work together," she said to Aedan, smiling at him.

"This should be good," Azure said under her breath, but loud enough for all to hear.

"I'm listening, Your Highness," Aedan said quietly.

Alistair was struck dumb at this, but Azure understood what was going on and stopped talking, while a small smile appeared on her lips. She took Alistair's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I am sure my father has gone mad, and is gripped with a paranoia so severe, it prevents him from seeing sense in anything," Anora said, her lower lip trembling for a few moments. She took a deep breath and carried on. "He saw me as a threat. Even now, I know he is telling the nobles who support him that you kidnapped and mind-controlled me."

"Is there no way to reason with him?" Aedan asked.

"Howe's influence over him was strong. His death is a very good thing, but that will not be enough. I know my father and he will see this through."

"So what can we do to stop him?"

Anora gave Aedan a small smile. He was so easy to convince, this Warden. Victory was almost hers, and was so close that she was beginning to taste it.

"You will need ammunition to stop him during the Landsmeet, and I believe I can help you there. You have only arrived in the city and it is in great turmoil since the events in Ostagar. Many people are angry or grieving. Strangely enough, the unrest is worse in the alienage. There were hardly any elves in the army, so they should have little reason to be upset. This can only mean that Howe and my father are behind this and must have given them reason. I don't know what is happening there, but I have no doubt that it is my father's doing."

"That is a very useful lead, Anora. But you could have sent this information with your maid," Eamon said.

"That is true. I feared for my safety at Howe's estate, but to tell you the truth, I sent Erlina because I was hoping we could set aside our differences and work together. You need evidence for the Landsmeet, but you also need a stronger candidate for the throne. You need me."

"It sounds more like you need us, Your Highness," Aedan smiled.

"Oh, I have no doubt that Alistair is biddable enough, but even with his blood, he is no king. He is a Grey Warden. It will look like you are trying to put a Grey Warden on the throne, despite your claims. I am a neutral party and am already queen."

Eamon smiled at this. "Anora, you are indeed Cailan's widow, but-"

Anora interrupted, still looking straight at Aedan. "I am the daughter of Ferelden's greatest general. Who do you think really ruled this nation for the last five years? Cailan? I am what this country needs, not an untrained king who does not even want the throne."

She paused for a few moments and smiled. "Consider what I have said. For now, I will retire to my room. Warden, I would like a word with you tomorrow in private."

Aedan inclined his head, and smiled. The queen nodded at him once, hiding her elation from him and the rest and walked out of the sitting room, her back straight, Erlina following closely behind.

"I see that Anora has not changed, and is still spirited," Eamon smiled. "She could be trouble. I suggest we keep her close. She will either be a powerful enemy or ally and we must find out what she wants, Warden."

"I will speak to her first thing tomorrow morning, Eamon." Aedan smiled back.

"Of course. I understand you and your companions must all be extremely tired. I will let you go to your rooms to rest and have dinner sent to all of you when it is ready. I hope to hear from you once you have spoken to Anora," Eamon said.

Aedan smiled and nodded. Turning to Azure and Alistair, he asked them to follow him into his room and the three left the room closing the door behind them.

Eamon stood quietly, a smile forming on his lips. He could clearly see that Alistair was set on becoming king and that, in itself, was a small triumph to him.

He turned to Riordan, the Senior Warden whom Aedan had rescued from Howe and asked a guard to show him to his sleeping quarters.

Riordan thanked the Arl and also left the room. Aedan had smiled in his direction, acknowledging his presence, and he had smiled back. He hoped to talk to him before he set off for the alienage. He wanted to find out just how much he knew of the Wardens.

"That will have to wait till tomorrow," he said to himself as he finally reached his room.

...

The three of them had dinner together in Aedan's room, while they talked about what had just happened with Anora. Alistair was having a bit of difficulty understanding it all, he always reacted strongly against what he thought was wrong, and both siblings knew his emotions showed clearly in his face.

"If you are to be king, Alistair, you must learn how to master your emotions," Aedan said thoughtfully. "It's an art, but can be learned. I know Azure would be happy to give you a few tips on the subject."

"Father taught me all I know about the history of Ferelden, governance and politics in general," she smiled up at Alistair, who had his arm around her and was holding her close. "It is very difficult, and it proved so especially for you Aedan. I also have a bad temper, but am able to control it much better than you. So it really surprised me how you handled the situation back there. Father would have been very proud. I know I am," she smiled fondly at her brother, who smiled back.

The three of them agreed to meet after Aedan had spoken to Anora and then visit Eamon afterwards.

"There is something about Eamon that doesn't sit right with me," Alistair said thoughtfully. "I have a strong feeling he is doing this for his own needs."

"I feel the same way," Azure agreed with him, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

He smiled down at her, grateful for her support.

"I have to talk to Riordan at some point also. Alistair, we can go to him after we have spoken to Eamon. For now, I really can't think of anything else, except the fact that a servant will soon bring me hot water to bathe in, and there is nothing more that I want right now than a bath and some sleep."

"I agree wholeheartedly. About the bath, that is..." Alistair grinned, and glanced at Azure, who giggled.

"Oh, I don't know. I think I'll just try to get some sleep," she teased.

He chuckled at this and they bade Aedan a good night and left for Azure's room, where a servant was already filling her tub with hot water.

She turned to him and looked coy. His heart melted.

"Would you like to join me, Your Majesty?" She said softly as she tugged at the buckles holding his breastplate in place.

"There is nothing else I'd rather do right now," he answered, as his long calloused fingers struggled with her armor.

They undressed and kissed passionately, and proceeded to the tub, while kissing. Azure giggled, when Alistair nearly slipped and fell into the water.

"Careful, my king," she chided, and he took the pitcher next to them and filled it, dumping water all over her playfully.

They bathed each other, amidst their kissing and fondling, their desire climbing with each stroke, each caress. When they left the tub, they did not hesitate, quickly dried themselves, and made their way to the huge bed in the room.

They held each other closely when their lovemaking was done, lost in their thoughts.

"It was terrible, what they did to me," Azure said in a very low voice. Alistair's arms tightened around her protectively.

"Did they...rape you?" He dragged his breath out and waited for her reply, hoping to hear a negative response to his question.

"No, they didn't. But they beat me up pretty badly," she said, shivering slightly in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, my love. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," he murmured into her ear, and kissed her.

"It's all right, Alistair. You couldn't have prevented it. They drugged me when they took me, so I was unable to scream, and it was so fast, you would have never seen it. You were too busy fighting, as were the rest."

He brushed a stray lock away from her eyes, and looked deeply into them.

"I love you so much," he whispered. "The thought of losing you is more than I can bear."

She said nothing to this, but hugged him tightly. He started to kiss her passionately then, and her hungry response kindled his desire anew.

It was very late before they both fell asleep, but when they did, their dreams were of the future and of each other together, free from the Blight and all the Eamons and Loghains in the world.


	20. The Chat with Riordan

**Thanks so much Harmakhis for your awesome review!**

**There are twists to the game in this fic, this chapter has some of them. ;) **

**Enjoy and please review if you can! I loooove reviews! lol **

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Chapter 20 - The Chat with Riordan

Aedan met with Azure and Alistair after having talked to Anora. He quickly told them that he had her trust, and had told her that he would support her at the Landsmeet.

"She will speak against her father, and after that, we'll make sure you take the throne, Alistair."

"I feel so..._dirty_," Alistair said and sighed. "I had no idea politics could be this way."

"We must do what we must, my love. Anora cannot be left to rule the country alone, and you will make a fine king."

"I don't know about that now," he said, doubt in his eyes. "I'm not really cut out for lying or manipulating."

"This is why you will be the best," Azure said, giving him a brilliant smile. "You will be sincere and just. The people of Ferelden need someone who protects them, and looks after their best interests. It's time Ferelden grew and changed its ways, especially the nobility."

"I'm so glad you will be by my side, my sweet," he said in a low voice, as Aedan knocked on Eamon's door.

They entered the room when told to and the arl gave them a smile, before gesturing them to sit.

"Have you spoken to Anora?" Eamon asked immediately in an urgent tone.

"I have, and she wishes an alliance with us. I have agreed to her...terms," Aedan said, without going into detail what it was he had agreed to. He knew that both his sister and Alistair did not trust the arl and that was good enough for him.

"I see. Will she stand against her father, then?" was the arl's next question.

"I believe she will," Aedan answered truthfully.

"This is good news," Eamon said. "I wish I could call for the Landsmeet to convene, but some of my allies have not yet arrived in the city. I know you still have to visit the alienage, to see what is amiss?"

"Yes, we'll do so today."

"Excellent. Please come to see me when you are done. I am most interested in what Loghain and Howe may have done to warrant such an unrest there."

They stood up, and agreed to let him know as soon as they had news.

Once they had left the room, Alistair kissed Azure, and he and Aedan made their way to Riordan's room, while Azure stayed behind and made her way to the kitchen for a bite to eat.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you are both here," Riordan said. "Please sit down."

He himself sat in an armchair directly across from the two Wardens.

"Tell me, do you know why it is that Grey Wardens are necessary to stop a Blight?" He said without further preamble.

"I assume it has something to do with the Taint in us?" Aedan said, looking a bit perplexed.

"That is exactly what it entails," Riordan answered, a sad look on his face as he did so. He then took a deep breath and proceeded.

"The archdemon is a darkspawn, and as such can be killed. But if it is not a Grey Warden that does the killing, its soul will merely inhabit the darkspawn nearest it and it will live on in that darkspawn, undefeated. If it is a Grey Warden who deals the final blow, the archdemon's soul will inhabit the Grey Warden, and it will die."

"And what happens to the Grey Warden?" Alistair asked, a feeling of dread growing in the pit of his stomach.

"The darkspawn is a soulless empty vessel, a Grey Warden is not. The soul of the Archdemon will be destroyed, and in doing so, will destroy the Grey Warden's."

Alistair looked at Riordan in a state of mild shock. "Meaning- the Grey Warden who destroys the Archdemon _dies_?"

"Yes, my friend. I'm sorry, but there is no other way. Killing the Archdemon is the only way to end the Blight."

Aedan was the first to recover, and he did it quickly. "Then I shall deal the final blow!" He said.

Alistair protested, but Aedan turned to him, and anger flashed in his eyes momentarily.

"Alistair, you cannot! Remember Azure and your promise. _You_ will be all she has when this is over!"

"It warms my heart to see such courage, but do not hurry to sacrifice your life so. I am the elder warden and my Calling will soon be upon me. If possible, the final blow should be mine to make. But should I fall, the task will lie upon you two. Remember, it will be the only way to end the Blight." Riordan looked at them both, and the sadness in his eyes was still there.

They nodded almost in unison, and Riordan stood up. "I know you have much to do, and I do not wish to keep you from your duties. Good luck at the alienage," he said.

"I'd just like to ask you something else, if I may?" Aedan said to him.

"Of course."

"You spoke about a Grey Warden vault, here in Denerim?" Aedan asked and Riordan smiled.

"Yes, I will give you the codes so you can open the door. It is in a warehouse, behind the Gnawed Noble Tavern. Take whatever you wish from it, to assist you in your battles."

"Thanks, Riordan," Aedan said, and shook his hand. "We'll be seeing you later."

Alistair did the same and they left the room together.

...

What they discovered at the alienage had been shocking, but as they both were still in a great deal of shock over what Riordan had told them earlier, it barely registered to them.

In the end, Alistair had killed Caladrius, who was responsible for selling the elves to the Tevinter Imperium as slaves. Caladrius's death had been a grim satisfaction for him but it had all been worthwhile when they had seen the looks of relief and gratefulness on the freed elves' faces, as well as the hope and admiration that had shined in Valendrian's eyes when he had seen what they had accomplished.

Azure knew something was going on. Every time that she caught Alistair looking at him, there would be a hint of sadness in his eyes. She sighed and decided that come what may, she had to know what was troubling him.

They walked around the alienage, lost in their thoughts when they literally ran into a Templar who bowed, his hand outstretched, deep in concentration.

Aedan excused himself and realized in a moment that the Templar's eyes were focused on him but barely seeing. He offered to help the Templar upon learning that he was searching for maleficarum in the alienage without hesitation, and Azure, Alistair, Leliana and Wynne nodded in support and agreement over his decision at once.

Unfortunately when they tried to get to the bottom of what had happened in the abandoned orphanage, they discovered that it was overrun by demons, and in the battle, Ser Otto, the Templar who had asked for their help, was killed by one of the demons. They battled the remaining demons and were victorious.

They left the alienage then, and made their way to the market square. Aedan excused himself from the group, saying he had other matters to attend to, and that they should wait for him at the Gnawed Noble Tavern.

...

They sat there, drinking some ale, and Azure would whisper to Alistair from time to time, hoping to get a smile. He did smile at what she said to him, but otherwise remained silent.

"It's my birthday today," Alistair suddenly informed everyone quietly.

They stared back in shock, and then the whole table got really loud, as they voiced their disapproval at not being told beforehand.

Azure did more than protest, she stood up and made her way to the kitchen and spoke to the cook. She then returned to the table and warned that she expected no one to move until she returned. Pausing to give a quick kiss to Alistair, who was now smiling, she ran all the way to the arl's estate, only to return with Prince, Shale, Sten, Oghren, Zevran and even Morrigan.

When Aedan returned from completing the various jobs, he was surprised to see the whole group sitting together joking and drinking at the table.

"What's this?" He demanded, as he slipped into a seat, setting his gear on the ground beside him.

"Did you know it's Alistair's birthday today?" Azure asked, her eyes narrowing at him.

"No! I didn't! Why didn't you let us know beforehand, Alistair?" Aedan said, watching the blush creep up onto the ex-Templar's cheeks.

"Oh, I don't know. I forgot, I suppose. Nobody has ever celebrated my birthday before," he turned to gaze at Azure lovingly and the rest rolled their eyes.

Then they all clapped and laughed as one of the waitresses brought a cake to the table.

Amidst all their joking and laughing, Sten's voice was suddenly heard above the others.

"The cake is no lie this time. Your sister would make a better Warden."

Aedan burst out laughing at this, and Sten's lips twitched slightly. The rest laughed as well.

Then Aedan bent down to retrieve something from the floor. "Here, Alistair, I was going to give this to you anyway, and it's even better that it's your birthday." He handed him a shield, with a griffon adorning its center.

Alistair's eyes widened so much, that Aedan thought they would certainly pop from his head. For a moment he just stared at it, then took it reverently in his hands, looking at it.

"This shield! It's Duncan's, isn't it? I recognize it. I had no idea his shield wasn't with him..." his voice trailed off, and his eyes grew misty. Then he smiled and replaced his old shield with Duncan's. "This means more to me than you'll ever know. I will treasure this. Thank you so much, Aedan."

"Anytime, my brother," Aedan grinned back at him.

Azure looked around the table happily. They were a family of sorts now, even though their group was eclectic and odd. She knew that all of them felt the same way. She spotted Morrigan, who was looking at Alistair with something close to disgust and her brow furrowed.

Well, maybe not _**all**_ of them.

...

They returned to the estate after the celebration, and soon discovered that Alistair was very drunk. He laughed a lot and when he stumbled into Wynne, Aedan decided it was better for him to face the arl alone that evening.

"I'm not going?" Alistair pouted and Azure giggled. He then focused his eyes on Azure. "My love," he purred, and his head dropped down to kiss her passionately in front of everyone else.

"Oops!" Azure laughed as she broke away from the kiss. "I think I'll take you to your room, my love."

"Ooooh! I like the sound of that!" Alistair giggled as he allowed himself to be led by Azure down the hallway.

The rest made their way to their own rooms and said good night to Aedan, who turned down the hallway and knocked on the arl's door.

"Ah, Warden! I was beginning to get worried about you," the arl said. "Isn't Alistair with you?"

"No, we were doing some celebrating at the Gnawed Noble Tavern. Alistair had a little too much to drink, I'm afraid." He paused, but not able to control himself flung a question at the arl. "Weren't you aware that it was Alistair's birthday today?"

A faint blush rushed to the arl's cheeks then. He looked uncomfortable for a fleeting moment, and then he got a grip on himself.

"No, I did not. I'll speak to the boy about it tomorrow."

_Liar! _

"Well, Eamon, I bring disturbing news from the alienage. I have proof that Loghain and Howe were selling off the elves as slaves and shipping them to Tevinter."

"Maker's breath! I should be appalled at such a terrible thing taking place in Ferelden, yet I am relieved that we can use this against Loghain."

_Of course you are. _

"When can you call for the Landsmeet to convene?"

"I am still waiting for another ally to arrive, so I cannot do so yet. I will let you know the moment this happens and call for the Landsmeet immediately after."

"Thank you Eamon," Aedan rose to leave. "Good night."

"Good night, Warden."

...

Morrigan was waiting for him in his room, and smiled seductively at him when he appeared and closed the door behind him.

"I'm not really feeling up to this, Morrigan. It's been a rather bad day for me," he said quietly, looking directly at her and crossing his arms.

"All the more reason for you to vent, my dear Warden," Morrigan replied smirking.

She approached him and started to kiss him but he did not respond and pushed her away gently. When she looked at him, anger flashed in her lovely golden eyes.

"I know what is wrong. I have a solution, you know. But I cannot reveal it to you now," she said.

"You _know_? What is it that you _think_ you know?" Aedan said his eyebrows shooting up as he regarded her coolly.

"I know that a Grey Warden must deal the final blow upon the Archdemon in order to kill it. And I know what happens to the Grey Warden when it dies."

Aedan felt his jaw drop in astonishment at Morrigan's words. He recovered and quickly shot back the obvious question.

"And just _how_ do you know this, Morrigan?"

"'Tis not important right now," Morrigan replied.

"Really? You knew this all along and you won't tell me how? What is more, you never told me before, knowing this? I thought we had something, Morrigan. I thought you could at least _trust_ me," he said bitterly.

She laughed then. "Trust has nothing to do with this. And as for having something, you have always made it clear that it was only sex you wanted, have you not?"

Aedan stood there looking at her, anger growing at the pit of his stomach and spreading slowly.

"I want you out of my room when I return. I will never seek you out again, you manipulative bitch," he spat out.

Then, without another word, he spun around and left his room.

Morrigan's eyes narrowed. This was a problem she had thought would never happen. She knew then that she would have to resort to the least appealing option if she didn't win Aedan back.

But there was still time before she would even consider taking that final option that was so disgusting to her, and that would have to do for now...


	21. The Lid On The Pot

**Just to thank my sista Jinx1983, Virginia Gale and Harmakhis for their wonderful reviews! Yay! **

**Thought I'd call this chapter 'The Lid on the Pot' cause it's mostly a chapter about how shit is about ready to hit the fan, lol, and what sorta happens to egg everything on...**

**So yeah, SMUTTINESS AHEAD, in other words, sex...lol**

**Bioware rules and owns...**

Chapter 21 - The Lid On The Pot

Aedan walked aimlessly around the huge estate, not really knowing where his legs were carrying him. The only thing he knew was that he had to get a grip on his anger, and in order to do that, he wanted to find a room where he could spar with dummies.

By chance he found himself in the kitchen, where a redheaded figure was sitting, sipping on some tea.

He sat beside her and grinned, his heart doing summersaults, his anger evaporating.

Leliana grinned up at him. The look in her eyes was soft and warm.

"I thought you would be...busy. I saw Morrigan going into your room..."

"Oh, yes, well...she and I have broken up. And this time it's for good." Aedan said, still looking into her face. He had never quite felt this before and it both surprised and scared him. As usual, he let himself go and forgot about the fear.

"And you think it is for good, why?" She questioned, her eyes twinkling.

"I think...it must be because someone else has peaked my interest," he grinned.

"Oh, your _interest_..." Leliana frowned and stood up.

He stood up as well, his heart thumping wildly. "Leliana, wait, please don't go. I didn't mean my 'interest' in that way at all," he gripped her arm, and she turned to look at him.

"What did you mean then, Warden?" She asked sweetly.

He frowned then. "My name is Aedan," he whispered.

"I know that, _Aedan_." A soft laugh escaped her lips. His name on those lips was the most exciting thing he had ever heard.

He felt a rush then, and a warm glow that started at the pit of his stomach and spread all the way down to his groin, but he still controlled his desire. He had something to say to her, and he knew he shouldn't. After all, he could very well die in order to stop the Blight. It didn't seem fair to her at all.

But her gaze made him forget it all and he surrendered to what he was feeling.

"I have grown to care for you, Leliana. A great deal, in fact. This is something entirely new to me. I've never felt this way before about anyone. It's crazy, and it may not be fair to you. I could die ending the Blight. I wanted you to know this, before you decide whether or not there is an us..."

She held his gaze and he knew what her answer was even before she spoke.

"Aedan, any of us can die, and if we do, it is better if we live completely before we die, yes?"

"I **will** probably die. It's the duty and destiny of a Grey Warden to-"

She placed a finger on his lips then. He shivered slightly at her touch.

"I don't need to know this and I don't want to."

"I...am falling for you. I can't deny my feelings any longer," he said in a low voice, his eyes falling on her sweet lips that were smiling softly at him.

Their lips met in a chaste kiss and Aedan felt the world start spinning around him. His arms tightened around her, and her lips parted, and the kiss deepened. Hands travelled around and caressed. Everything else in the room disappeared.

After what seemed to Aedan like an eternity, they broke away, and he looked into her beautiful blue eyes and smiled, his eyes loving and warm.

"Come, my Warden, the night is upon us, and we must rest."

She took her hand in his, and led him to her room, only pausing to close and lock the door behind them.

...

Alistair giggled some more, while Azure struggled to get him undressed.

Her face was getting very red, as Alistair was a heavy man and his dead weight made it even harder to accomplish the task. He was not helping one bit.

"My love...my wonderful, beautiful love," he slurred over and over while his hands roamed over her body.

"Alistair, I need to get this off..." she panted and tugged at his breastplate again, as he continued to lean back against the wall, making it really difficult for her to get the damn thing off.

"If I move, then it will spin again, and I'll falllllllllllll," he rolled out the last word, and laughed at the sound. "Falllllllllll, I like that...fallllllllllllllll."

More giggles, and more struggling.

"Alistair! My patience has a limit!"

He started and stood up straight for a brief moment, then swayed dangerously on his feet.

The breastplate clattered on the floor and she gave a sigh of relief, and then, he fell on top of her, bringing her down to the floor with him.

She glared at him as he burst into laughter. "Oops!" He giggled.

Then he passed out.

She sat up and looked down at him, her expression softening. She knew she would never get him to the bed, so she sighed, and stood up.

She undressed, put on a clean tunic - one of his - and got into bed.

As soon as her head found the pillow, she fell into a deep refreshing sleep.

Alistair curled into a fetal position on the floor and mumbled something under his breath, then started to snore softly.

...

Aedan had never been with a woman like Leliana. She was very experienced and the fact that they felt love for each other heightened their first time together beyond anything they had ever imagined.

Their love-making was slow as they explored and worshipped each other eagerly, their sighs and moans filling the room.

Aedan's hands travelled over her breasts, and his mouth bent down and cherished her nipples, his tongue flicking on each one before it continued to taste her, moving down the rest of her body. His hand found her nub, and he gently rubbed it and her voice cut through the silence, mewling with pleasure as she thrust her hips upwards.

He found that she was wet and ready and he placed his mouth on her, his tongue gently probing her entrance as he tasted her, and continued to rub her nub at the same time.

Lifting his face to her eyes, that were dark with desire, he inched his face up again, his fingers still on her core, gently massaging her nub, and he felt her release when he kissed her passionately again. She arched her back and shuddered, moaning his name into his mouth.

His mouth then trailed down again to her breasts, but she gently pushed him aside and grabbed his erection, which throbbed in her hand. She brought her lips on it and kissed it first, then took the tip into her mouth, while she sucked and moved his length up and down.

His hands dug into her hair and he flung his head back and moaned. Unable to take it any longer, he pushed her away gently and she nodded at him.

Dark hazel eyes looked into dark blue ones, as he positioned himself at her entrance.

"I love you, Leliana," he whispered as he thrust inside her, while her legs locked on his waist.

The only sound heard was the slapping of their flesh against each other, as their hips bucked in unison and their heavy breathing. Then the sounds escaped her pink lips and she started to chant his name over and over as their desire grew.

They reached their peak almost at the same time, her walls convulsing around him, which sent him over the edge as he released his seed inside her, growling her name as he did.

He breathed heavily on her shoulder, then pulled out slowly, and wrapped his arms tenderly around her.

"I love you," he whispered again, into her hair.

And Leliana smiled into his chest, holding him close as she drifted to sleep.

Her heart felt complete, and she wished she would remain with her Warden forever.

...

_I'm dying. I'm dying and it hurts so much I can't think. _

Alistair shifted on the cold stone floor and shivered. His head was hurting so much he could barely move.

Azure's voice broke the silence and his pain grew unbearably at the sound of her voice, which was booming at him.

"You're finally awake. How do you feel?"

"Stop...shouting..." he managed to say and groaned again.

"I'm not..." she stopped talking, as he groaned again interrupting her. The whole situation was indeed funny, but she knew better than to laugh at it, for it would only make him feel worse.

_Maker's breath! Must stop pain..._

"Wynne..." he managed to squeak out.

Azure left the room and got the mage, whose eyes twinkled merrily when she finally stood in front of Alistair's form on the floor.

"I should just leave you there, so you learn not to drink so much in the future." She chided him.

"Bad..._evil_...grandmother..." Alistair got out. He groaned again, his hands gripping his head this time.

Wynne chuckled and spread her hands over his head. A soft blue glow emanated from her fingertips.

She turned to Azure when she was done and winked at her.

"Thanks Wynne," she smiled.

"Try not to celebrate too much _if_ you tell him the news," Wynne's eyes twinkled at her before she left.

Azure closed the door softly behind her, and turned to Alistair, who was sitting up regarding her with a comical expression, torn between utter misery and curiosity.

"What did she mean? What news?"

"First you have to take a bath. You stink, my love," she said fondly. "I've already asked for hot water."

He stood up and the room spun out of control for a few seconds, but then it stopped and he sighed audibly, relieved that his head was no longer throbbing and he was beginning to feel human again.

"All right, that's a deal," he managed a weak smile. "I've never been able to successfully drink a lot without getting drunk. I guess now is a good time as any to promise I'll never do it again."

"Never say never," she grinned.

There was a knock at the door, and two servants came in carrying the hot water, which they began to dump into the tub.

He stripped and sat in the water and bathed himself. When he was done, he put a towel around his waist and walked over to where she was. She was sitting at a small table in the corner of the room, facing the fireplace. She was drinking tea and was looking very pale.

"Is there something wrong, my love?" He asked, bending down and kissing her briefly, before he sat at the table with her.

She poured him a cup of tea and her hands shook slightly as she did.

"There is something I have to tell you, Alistair," she said quietly.

"I hope it isn't that you don't love me anymore," he said, with a worried expression on his face.

She laughed then and gazed lovingly into his eyes.

"I'll never stop loving you," she replied.

"Well, that's very good to know, love," he smiled.

She took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes, and for a moment Alistair thought that it must be bad anyway, because she trembled slightly.

"I'm with child."


	22. The Lid Off The Pot

**First of all, I have to thank my reviewers for their kind and great feedback! So thank so much Virginia Gale, jugalettePENNER, Jinx1983 and Harmakhis! Also want to say thanks to all the people who are putting this fic into their favorites list, and to all the alerts. You just all make my day! :D **

**The lid blows off in this one, way off, lol **

**Bioware owns! I just use my imagination and hope it doesn't run away with me, lol :) **

Chapter 22 - The Lid Off The Pot

Alistair's eyes widened with shock and he sat there, completely still for a few minutes. His face gradually relaxed and utter joy and happiness crept into his eyes.

Giving a cry, he stood up and gathered Azure in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Oh, my love! This is a miracle! It's so difficult for a warden to- I love you so very much!" His words came out jumbled in a rush and he kissed the crown of her head after he was done speaking.

The happiness he felt was overwhelming and for a moment he just stood there, savoring it as he held her close. Then, he slowly moved away from her so he could gaze into her lovely green eyes which were wet with tears.

"Why are you crying, my dear heart?" He murmured as he wiped a tear from her face gently.

"I'm so happy, my love. Everything is turning out so beautifully. I just keep thinking it's all a wonderful dream and I'll wake up."

He smiled down at her and bent his head to kiss her very gently. Her hands, which were on his chest, slowly made their way up to his neck, where they wrapped themselves, as she responded to his kiss, and it slowly deepened.

"Oh, my love...I-" but her lips stopped him from saying anything further, and without thinking it twice, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed.

She giggled into his mouth and he broke the kiss, and stared into her eyes.

"Nothing will come between us after this! I must tell Aedan! He'll be so happy!"

"As long as he doesn't kick my arse, I suppose it will be all right," he grinned. "I don't suppose you'll consider marrying me now," he added thoughtfully.

"Well, yes, I could do that," she answered back, but then added a little more seriously. "My love, what has been bothering you recently? You were a bit sad yesterday when we were in the alienage..."

His brow furrowed in concentration as he thought about what she had just said.

"Oh! That had totally slipped my mind," he answered back when he finally remembered, and looked sadly at her.

"There you go, you're doing it again," she sighed.

"Doing what, love?"

"Looking so sad! What's wrong, Alistair?" She laid her hand on his cheek and he took it and kissed it gently before finally answering her.

"Riordan told us yesterday why Grey Wardens are needed to end the Blight. It's not very happy. In order to end a Blight, a Grey Warden has to kill the archdemon, and in doing so, its soul will pass onto the Grey Warden, killing the Grey Warden in the process. The Blight will end, but it will be at great cost."

"Maker's mercy!" She exclaimed as tears brimmed over her eyes and began to fall.

"Oh! My love...I'm so sorry! I don't want you to cry, I don't want you upset right now, please!" He exclaimed as he caressed her face and hair, trying to comfort her. Then, "I'm such an idiot for having told you! I should have kept my big mouth shut!"

She shook her head violently at this. "No, I had to know. It's better this way."

"Aedan has already told me that he will do it. Deliver the final blow," Alistair said. "But I feel so badly about that. He's your brother and I shouldn't be so selfish about this, but I can't leave you alone."

She nodded and continued to cry. Her brother was going to die. She shivered and Alistair held her closely.

"You'd better not leave me alone. Never! I would die without you my love!" She sobbed and he kissed her tenderly, wishing to do anything in order to alleviate the pain she was feeling now.

"Please, my sweet. Don't be so upset. Remember our child. This cannot be good for him," He whispered.

"Or her," she retorted, smiling a bit now.

He looked at her and one of his eyebrows shot up. "Huh, I like that. You think it's going to be a girl, then?"

"I'm sure of it," she said as she smiled through her tears.

...

Eamon sat alone at the dining room table. He preferred it that way, he didn't like Alistair's companions at all and was tired of putting on a nice face for them. He just hoped that the news of his last ally arriving would come soon, because he was really anxious to get on with everything.

He tore into the roast chicken before him and could not help but smiling at how easily everything was coming together. He could almost taste the victory that was near.

"You there, please have a meal sent up to the Wardens and to their companions." He said to one of the servants that was nearby.

The girl instantly bobbed in a curtsey and went off to deliver the message to the cooks in the kitchen.

Now if only he could get Alistair to behave that way, then everything would be perfect.

He sighed and wished now that he had a mage at his beck and call. It would be so easy at this point to spike his food or drink with some sort of potion that could make Alistair more manipulative. He shook his head and thought about it better. No, that wouldn't work. Perhaps a spell then? He shook his head again when he realized he was having foolish notions. There was no spell or potion that was capable of doing that.

But if he could come up with something else to freely manipulate Alistair the way he wanted. After all, he had seen that Alistair had developed some kind of a backbone and this disturbed him greatly.

The servant that he had sent earlier, suddenly appeared before him, and curtsied again. "Begging your pardon, sire, but the Wardens and their companions have already been sent their meals to their rooms."

"Excellent. Carry on with whatever it is you are doing then," he murmured as he rose from the table and went off to wash up, still deep in thought.

A guard stopped him along the way to his rooms.

"My Lord, I bring news. Lord Caltrose has finally arrived."

"Thank you," he answered the guard, and then in a low voice he said, "Most excellent," and hurried up the stairs to Alistair's room first.

...

Eamon knocked on Alistair's door and without waiting for him to answer, flung it open.

The food the servant had sent up lay on the table untouched, and Alistair and Azure were on the bed, a sheet barely covering them as they broke away from their kiss to turn their surprised faces to the open door.

Eamon went completely red, but immediately saw a way of using this to his advantage.

"Oh! Eamon...I-" Alistair blushed violently, and grasped the sheet over them, his knuckles white, his hands now making sure the sheet covered them nearly completely, so only their heads could be seen.

"Alistair! What are you doing? Surely you know that this behavior is totally inappropriate!" He said, his voice thundering across to where they lay.

Alistair scrambled to try to get to his clothes, that were lying in a heap on the floor, but they were too far for him to get to them.

"I will have to _insist_ you take another room, Lady Cousland! I know your parents would not allow such a behavior from you, even if you both are betrothed!"

Her eyes narrowed up at him at this, and she immediately answered back.

"How would _you_ know what they would do? You only care for yourself as it is! We are getting married, and it makes no difference now anyway. And I would advise _you_ to stay out of it and keep your nose in your own affairs, your _Lordship_!"

Eamon stood there in shock. He really didn't know that Azure's temper was that bad, and had forgotten the nickname for the youngest Cousland, but he remembered it now. Bryce had called her 'his little spitfire'.

Alistair's fingers were still stretching out to get to his clothes, and finally brushed against his trousers, resulting in his falling off the bed at that very moment, taking the sheet with him and leaving a very naked Azure on the bed, still glaring at Eamon.

Eamon averted his eyes, and turned. He strode out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Azure turned to Alistair who was looking at her, still sprawled on the floor, frozen in time, his eyes wide.

She burst out laughing and could not stop. Alistair chuckled but was soon laughing with her.

He crawled back into bed, and put the sheet over her, and she laughed at this gesture again. He sheepishly realized what he was doing and snickered.

"Oh, I love you so much!" She exclaimed and flung herself into his arms.

...

The double doors that led to the throne room where the Landsmeet was being held looked really ominous to Alistair, who was sweating as he looked at them. Azure gently squeezed his hand, and he turned to look at her, a small smile appearing on his face as he tried to get a grip on his emotions.

Aedan looked grim and determined and pushed ahead of his sister and Alistair, Leliana and Wynne following close behind. He flung the doors opened and walked into the room.

Eamon was already talking to the nobles, and he got a glimpse of them and finished his speech, just as Loghain showed up clapping at what he had said.

The four of them got near to where Loghain was and stood there as he called Alistair a puppet. Azure felt herself bristling but kept her temper in check, and just glared at him.

Aedan then began to tell everyone what Loghain had done, as he produced papers to back him up whenever he could. The nobles responded that responded to his accusation were very supportive, and soon Loghain called for silence and demanded to know what Aedan had done to his daughter, the queen.

"What have I done? I've protected her from you," he said quietly, his gaze cool and calm.

The queen suddenly appeared in the room. Her words were clear and everybody heard them.

"I believe I can speak for myself." She gazed at the nobles then and flung into a speech that had everyone in the room gasping at what they were hearing. The queen herself was supporting the Wardens and against her own father, the Hero of River Dane! This immediately turned nearly everyone in the room against Loghain and in favor of the Wardens.

They voted and the Wardens won hands down, the only vote in favor of Loghain being Bann Ceorlic's.

"Stand down, Loghain, you've lost," Aedan said quietly.

"We will let the Landsmeet settle this!" Loghain said and turned to Bann Alfstanna, who was the spokesperson.

"The duel will be a test of arms, and will be fought until one of the contestants yields," she called out.

"Will you face me yourself, or will you choose a champion?" Loghain said scowling at Aedan.

"I will fight you myself," Aedan said calmly.

"Prepare yourself then, Warden!"

...

If Loghain thought for one moment that he could beat Aedan, he was sorely misinformed of the kind of warrior he was. He also didn't know that Aedan was a beserker, which surprised him greatly. After a few minutes, he kneeled and surrendered.

"You'll die for what you have done!" Aedan growled at him.

"Wait!" Riordan's voice rang through the room, as he made his way over to where they were. "There is another option." Alistair's eyebrow immediately shot up, a scowl on his face as he regarded Riordan.

Riordan went on to explain that maybe Loghain should go through the Joining and be made a Grey Warden.

"What?" Alistair exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing. "This man had you put in prison and tortured you! He abandoned Duncan and the rest of the Wardens on the field, allowing them to be massacred! You can't be serious!"

"Think about it, Alistair. There are only three of us in all Ferelden. Think about what happens when the archdemon is slain. We need more Wardens, and have little time to wait for reinforcements."

Azure made a strange strangled noise, and Alistair turned to look at her. There was hope in her eyes, and that hope was a beautiful thing to see.

Riordan continued talking, going on about how they weren't judges, but took anyone into their ranks. When he mentioned that Duncan knew this, the memory of Duncan came crashing into Alistair's mind, and his rage overtook him again.

"No! Being a Warden is a privilege NOT a punishment. Do you honestly think that he would understand? He hates Wardens! You weren't there, Riordan! You did not see this man leave his king and the Wardens to die, after we had lit the beacon on the top of that tower! Cailan was my brother, and he didn't deserve what was done to him! I refuse to even consider what you are saying!"

Azure's whisper in his ear interrupted him from further speech.

"Please, my love. Aedan could live if you allow this! Just try to think...he is my brother!"

Alistair faltered again for the briefest of moments. Aedan was looking at him now, with grim determination in his face.

"You don't have to accept Riordan's proposition, Alistair," he said quietly. "I already told you what I'm going to do..."

A few more agonizing minutes ticked by.

"It's up to you, Aedan," Alistair finally said. "I will accept your decision, no matter what."

"Very well," Aedan said and turned to Riordan.

"This man should die for the crimes he has committed. I can't agree to what you are saying, Riordan. I could never see him as a brother. He would be a disgrace to the order."

"Very well," Loghain said. "Just make it quick, Warden."

Anora gave a strangled cry.

"Alistair, I think you should be the one to do this," Aedan told him.

"I will. I owe this much to Duncan," Alistair said. He took a greatsword from someone's hands, without looking at its owner, and swung it directly at Loghain's neck, cutting off his head.

Anora flung herself at her dead father's body weeping.

Behind Alistair came a cry and a thud, as Azure fell to the floor, unconscious. He turned to Wynne who immediately began to work her magic on her, till she stirred and opened her eyes.

As soon as Azure had regained consciousness, she stood up, holding on to Aedan as she did, but still swaying slightly on her feet. She regarded Alistair with pure rage. He moved towards her to take her in his arms, not caring about who was in the room at that moment, but she backed away from him.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She spat. Then turning around, she fled from the throne room, slamming the door behind her.


	23. The Old God

**Thanks to Warrose, Jinx1983, Harmakhis, sapphiretoes for their fantastic reviews! Loved them! Thanks to all who are following this story so closely as well. I truly appreciate it. :D **

**Well, some things, er...people, aren't meant to be kept apart, I guess! LOL**

**Bioware truly owns, and I play a lot with their game. :D **

Chapter 23 - The Old God

As soon as the Landsmeet was over, and Alistair had taken the throne, the group head back to the estate. Alistair was soon ahead of them as he broke into a run.

He tore up the stairs and ran into his room. She was not there. He rushed out and flung the door to her room open.

She was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She did not look at him.

"Azure," he croaked and advanced into the room, closing the door behind him.

"What do you want, Alistair? I want to be alone for now, if you don't mind. I'm only here because I have to be next to my brother, while he is still alive," she said curtly, her eyes not leaving the ceiling.

"I'm so sorry things turned out like this," he said, his voice a whisper.

"You are, are you?" She said darkly. "You had the opportunity to change it. You could have said something to Aedan, told him that he should make Loghain a Warden! That's my brother's life at stake there, all for what? Duty? I hate duty."

Anger started to flare up inside Alistair at the mention of Loghain as a Warden. "No!" His voice rose slightly, and this made Azure turn her head to look at him, the expression in her eyes unreadable.

"I wouldn't have stayed with the Wardens if he had done that! I would _**not**_ have been able to bear him in our order! He was a criminal and a sick man, a monster! Aedan knew this. He chose to do what was done. He made the decision, because he knew it was the only one. This is the only way."

"There is always a way. It can't be _that _final, not when it's my brother's life at stake. Please leave, Alistair. I can't talk to you like this." There was both a sadness and a finality in her tone that made his heart stop.

"Please, Azure, you know I can't do this without you. I need you," he pleaded.

"Well, you should have thought about that, and stopped Aedan from sentencing Loghain then. There is nothing left to say. Please leave." She was still staring at him, coldly in fact.

His heart broke into a hundred little pieces as he pivoted around and left the room.

Only then, did Azure let out a sob and started to cry.

Standing outside the door, Alistair heard her tears and his heart broke all over again. He turned around and went into his room, and was so overcome with grief and anguish, that he did not see Aedan standing there.

Aedan stepped inside his sister's room and shut the door behind him.

"Alistair, I told you-" She stopped talking when she realized it was her brother standing there and stood up immediately, running to him and hugging him closely.

"Hush, Azure! What are these tears for? I don't want you crying like this. You have to support Alistair, my darling sister. I must do this for you. You both deserve to be happy..."

"No, Aedan! You cannot die! I don't want you to!" She sobbed into his chest.

"It is my duty, as a Warden. It is the only way, you have to understand this! I won't let Alistair die. You cannot be left alone without him! Besides, his duty is greater now than mine will ever be. He is the king now, and will be crowned soon after the Blight. You have to stand by his side and become his queen."

He lifted her chin with his hand, and gazed calmly into her eyes.

"You know that this is the only possible outcome. Please don't do this to Alistair. He is a good man, and he loves you too much to suffer. We still have the Blight to deal with and he cannot go to war knowing that you are rejecting him. Please reconsider. You are his strength and hold his heart and life in your hands. Besides, you both are meant to be. Your love is a love of heroic tales and songs, don't throw it all away because of the decision I made."

"I don't want you to die! I don't want you to!" She cried.

"I made up my mind long before the Landsmeet. And I'm a Cousland. You, of all people, know how stubborn we are. It is done, Loghain lies dead, and Ferelden will be a great country under Alistair's rule. He must have you by his side. You two must marry. Or I will return from the Fade itself and pester you both till it is done," his eyes twinkled at her and she smiled through her tears.

"There, that's much better. Will you go to Alistair now?" He asked her tenderly.

"No, I can't, not yet. Please brother, I just feel I need some time to get a grip on myself."

"Don't take too long. We must pack and head off to Redcliffe. Eamon has probably already left already. We need to be there before the darkspawn horde arrives to fight them."

She paled considerably at this, but nodded quietly.

They hugged each other again. "Will you be all right?" He asked.

"I'll try. I'll get busy packing now. That will help."

"Good girl. I'll leave you for now. I must talk to my future brother-in-law, if you don't mind," he smiled.

She nodded again and gave him a small smile and he left the room, heading directly to Alistair's room.

...

Aedan did not bother to knock, but went inside and shut the door behind him. Alistair was sitting on the huge four-poster bed, and looked up quickly his eyes full of a wild hope, but when he saw it was he, the sadness crept back into his eyes and he resumed staring at the floor.

"I've spoken to her, Alistair. I think she will come to you fairly soon. She was very distraught. But I think she has finally accepted that it was not your fault. This was my decision to make."

He looked up at Aedan, hope shining in his eyes once again.

"I do want to understand why you did this? Why did you tell her about the archdemon, Alistair?"

"I had to Aedan. She asked me why I had looked so sad all day and I had to. You know I cannot keep anything from her," he said miserably.

"Yes, brother, I know and I understand. Though I still want to hit you in the face," he grinned.

Alistair made a strangled noise that sounded something like a laugh.

"Be my guest, Aedan. By all means," he retorted. But the comment he made was still sad and not playful at all. Aedan frowned.

"Well, pull yourself together, man. We have to leave for Redcliffe, you know that. I need you on your toes to fight the horde," he said in a strong voice.

Alistair gave him a small smile and started packing.

"Good, I'll go to my room now and start packing, then!" He made a move for the door, but stopped himself before he left, to deliver a final parting remark to him.

"She loves you Alistair. Just remember that. You both are meant to be, and this makes me happier than anything else."

The door shut behind him and Aedan walked to his room at last to pack and set out for Redcliffe afterwards.

...

They set out for Redcliffe as soon as they were ready. Aedan travelled in the front, leading his group as always. Alistair fell in step beside him, at other times he fell slightly behind and casually glanced around to check where she was. Azure was way in the back, travelling with Wynne, while Sten took the rear.

They travelled quietly and quickly. When it got dark, they stopped to camp for the night. Azure did not go to Alistair, but he went to her anyway, and set up her tent, like he had in the old days before they were together.

She gave him a nod when he was done, but she did not look at him and he sadly shuffled out of the way to his own tent. Aedan and Sten were taking first watch and even though he knew he would not get much sleep, he was very tired, and fell on top of his bedroll without even taking off his breastplate.

They had a quick breakfast the following morning, and resumed their walk at a steady pace. On the way, they had to stop several times for Azure, who had to stop and run for the bushes, Wynne beside her all the time.

Alistair looked at this, and he sighed. He knew it was probably morning sickness but said nothing about this to Aedan who was getting suspicious about the whole thing.

Finally, when Azure had stopped for the third time, he turned to Alistair.

"What's up with Azure, Alistair? Is she ill?"

"Well...no. I wouldn't say that," he mumbled, not daring to look at his face.

"Then what is it?" Aedan asked quickly.

"Well, I have to tell you. It's something that you must know about anyway. Azure is with child, Aedan." His voice dropped and he waited for his anger to strike him down.

Aedan gave a growl and pounded his fist straight into Alistair's nose, breaking it with the impact. Alistair staggered but did not fall, and simply stood there, not defending himself.

Azure had returned from the bushes, and saw her brother beating Alistair to a pulp. Alistair was doing nothing to stop him.

"No! Aedan! Stop it!"

She ran to them and put herself in front of Alistair, who now lay on the ground, blood pouring from his nose and lips.

Aedan stopped, his fist raised. Wynne hurried to Alistair's side and immediately began healing him.

"Why are you doing this Aedan?" She yelled at him.

Aedan was breathing heavily. "He told me about, about your _condition_," he spat out the last word.

"But you knew this was bound to happen! And you know we will get married as soon as this is over! So I don't understand why you would react this way, Aedan! Alistair doesn't deserve this!"

From the ground, Alistair looked up at Azure, his heart beating wildly as he heard her words.

"But-" Aedan managed to say and Azure's words stopped him.

"But nothing! I can't believe you would react this way! This is so, so," she groped for the right words, "**Fergus** of you!" She finished, and stared at him angrily.

"Fergus of me?" He repeated dumbly.

Azure then let out a giggle, followed by a chuckle and then started to laugh hysterically. She bent over, clutching her stomach and continued laughing, while the men stared at her. She saw their bewildered expressions and laughed harder.

Alistair started laughing with her, it was difficult not to laugh at her words anyway, and her laughter filled him with joy and happiness, his heart was about to burst as it was.

Aedan was the last to join in, and the rest of the companions laughed along too, all except for Sten who just glared and Morrigan who regarded it all with a sour expression on her face.

Azure stopped laughing abruptly and turned to Aedan, who was looking at her sheepishly.

"I don't want to react like Fergus. I'm sorry if that was so very Fergus of me," he added chuckling.

He held out his hand to Alistair, who took it and stood up. Then he gave Alistair a bear hug.

"Let's get on with it, then. We have a horde of darkspawn to defeat!" Aedan said happily.

"You're crazy!" Azure called after him, then stopped talking as a pair of very muscular arms wrapped themselves around her, and a voice she knew and loved whispered words of love into her ear.

...

They reached Redcliffe in five days, instead of the seven days it usually took, but did not find the armies or Eamon in the vicinity.

As the first bridge came into view, a lone figure stood on it and there was an overturned wagon on the right that was on fire. A sense of foreboding overcame the group and Aedan reached the lone man on the bridge first.

"What's happened here?" He demanded.

"It's you! The Grey Warden! Thank the Maker you are here at last! The darkspawn have attacked and everyone fled to the castle. I tried to get to my house, but they cut me off."

"You should get out of here, and quickly!" Aedan said. He then made his way down the hill to the village, but let out a battle cry and unsheathed his weapon. "Protect Azure!" He called out to the rest of his companions, and charged, slicing through the darkspawn like butter.

Alistair fought at his side, his shield moving quickly and accurately and Sten swung his sword Asala, beheading three of them in one great swipe.

The rest kept their distance to protect the mages and Azure. Wynne was holding on to Azure with one hand while shooting healing and rejuvenating spells on the others. Morrigan supported all with her offensive spells and saved the lives of many of her companions as well.

They hurried down to the town square, where two ogres waited, amidst a great deal of darkspawn and continued the fight. Alistair suddenly found himself in the hand of one of the ogres and struggled wildly.

Below them on the ground, Azure let out a scream and barged into the fray, throwing a fire bomb at the ogre and slashing into his legs. The ogre dropped Alistair and turned slowly to face Azure. He charged, but stopped midway, accurately frozen by Morrigan and her cone of cold spell. Alistair scrambled to his feet and rushed to his beloved, carrying her out of harm's way, while Zevran finished the ogre, jumping up and slashing into him and shattering it to pieces.

They won that fight again, and stood there for a while, catching their breaths, while Wynne hovered over all of them, casting healing spells where necessary.

Alistair held Azure in his arms, and caressed her back and stroked her hair.

"My love," he murmured as he looked deeply into her eyes. "Please, you must not get harmed. Promise me you will be careful. Promise me, for our child..."

"I promise, my darling," she whispered back.

They sat there still holding each other as Aedan rounded the group together.

"We march to the castle in half an hour. Rest for now and take some time to replenish on health and stamina," he barked.

Alistair and Azure held on to each other, kissing and embracing. Even though they had made up on the way to Redcliffe, they still felt the need to be together, their desire and love burning inside them fiercely.

Aedan approached Leliana. Morrigan had her golden eyes on them and saw them talking then bristled visibly when they kissed.

_So that was what was on his mind. The stupid little Chantry sister. _

Morrigan vowed to get him back at whatever cost. She had very little time left in order to do what was necessary. It was the only thing that mattered to her and she would see it through.

...

They stood before Eamon and Teagan in the main hall, where Riordan quietly informed them that the horde was on its way to Denerim and the archdemon itself was leading it.

Aedan let out a curse, and Alistair quickly asked Eamon if they could leave for Denerim at once.

Eamon said they could not, he had to prepare the armies first, but said they would move out first thing in the morning.

"I suggest you go to your rooms and rest while you can. This will probably be the last time you will be able to rest comfortably before this is done."

"I'll see you tomorrow when the army is ready to march, then," Alistair told them quietly and they nodded.

He held out an arm to Azure, and left them as he took her upstairs to their room.

Eamon had servants preparing the rooms and filling the tubs with hot water, so they sat in their sitting room, holding each other as they waited.

Morrigan made haste, while Aedan stayed behind in the foyer, talking to Leliana.

When Aedan arrived at his room, he saw Morrigan standing there, in front of the fire in the fireplace.

She turned and spoke as she slowly approached him and came to stand before him.

"There is a way to avoid dying in the final battle, Aedan. All I ask is that you listen to my plan and not interrupt while I talk.

Aedan stared at her for a few moments and nodded.

"What I propose is this: A ritual, that will take place tonight in the dark of night, that will grant you a chance to live through this all."

"Ritual? What ritual?"

"'Tis ancient magic. And Flemeth's original idea, but 'tis the only way for you to live through it all," she repeated, stressing the fact that he would survive.

"Flemeth sent you here, didn't she?" He asked.

Morrigan nodded. "'Tis of no consequence now. The only thing you must know is that this will work."

"What is it, then?" He asked, as he looked at her warily.

"You must lay here tonight with me. From this union a child will be conceived. The child will bear the taint, and the soul of the Old God will seek the child's essence like a beacon. When you slay it, you will live."

Aedan stood there, completely shocked at what he was hearing. The first question out of his mouth did not surprise her at all. She was expecting it.

"Will the child become a darkspawn then?"

"No it will not. Allow me to say that I seek the essence of the old god, and not the powers that corrupted it. The child will absorb this essence and will not die. It will be born with the soul of the Old God."

"That's it? What's in it for you?" He said.

"I merely want a chance to raise this child, away from the rest of the world. Some things are meant to keep safe. The Old God will get a chance to live a different life away from the powers that corrupted it."

"What if I want to see this child later?" He asked. "I will be the father, surely you cannot keep me away."

"No doubt you will want to, but all I ask is that you let me go and never follow me once this is done. Let me walk away."

"What if I don't agree to this?" He asked, a sneer barely noticeable on his features.

"If you do not, I will go to Alistair. And I know Azure is with him right now. She will probably see this as an opportunity to save your life and convince Alistair to do this. I will succeed, with your help or without it," she said knowing full well he would not let her do that.

"Why don't you go to Riordan then?" Aedan asked.

"Riordan has had the Taint in him for too long. It would not work with him."

"I see."

"You will get a chance to live with your Chantry sister, and have babies with her. A happy life after this. If you and Alistair say no, there is still a chance that Alistair might take the final blow instead, as he will want to do his duty as the future king. Would you do this to your sister? Have her bear her child alone, and her heart break? I know that Riordan says he will deal the final blow, but he will not. He will die before that. I am sure of this."

Her words moved him and he faltered, going over them in his head, his brain working furiously.

"All right, I'll do it." He said finally, giving in.

"A wise decision," Morrigan smiled.

She went up to the door and slipped the bolt in place locking it.

The sound rang hollowly inside Aedan's chest and he felt like all the stone in the world had suddenly tumbled upon him, blocking out the light from his soul.


	24. For The Grey Wardens

**Let me just say that I love the rallying speech that Alistair makes before they rush into Denerim. This is why I write it out whenever I get the chance, lol. **

**Also to say that I have never liked Eamon, and that what happens to him here isn't exactly what I had in mind for him, but I thought that it would be better for this to happen. I wanted to focus on something else in this fic, and Eamon was annoying me. So this is the explanation for what happens in this chapter. **

**I want to thank Angelsong9 and Jinx1980 for their kind reviews! As always, all those who regularly review and those who pop up are my muse, and inspire me to continue writing! I also want to thank those that are following the story and have added this fic to their favorites and alert lists. You all rock! :D**

**Bioware owns, of course! :D **

**Oh, and before I forget, this isn't over yet! LOL **

Chapter 24 - For The Grey Wardens

_Before us stands the might of the darkspawn horde! Gaze upon them now, but fear them not! The man you see standing beside me is a native of Ferelden, risen to the ranks of the Grey Wardens. He is proof that glory is within reach of us all! He has survived, despite the odds, and without him, none of us would be here!_

_Today, we save Denerim! Today, we avenge the death of my brother, King Cailan! But most of all today, we show the Grey Wardens that we honor and remember their sacrifice!_

_For Ferelden! For the Grey Wardens!_

Alistair's voice rang out strong and true, and as Azure stood there, looking up at him and her brother, she suddenly knew why her brother would sacrifice himself. She finally understood what it meant to them, how much they had suffered and that it was not about duty at all, but about something that ran deeper and was imprinted in their very souls.

She brushed away the tears and smiled up at them, as they walked towards her and the rest of their companions, the soldiers already running towards the city gates, incensed by Alistair's rallying speech.

Alistair took her in his arms. "You know what is going to happen now, my Love. I have spoken to everybody else, you will constantly have me by your side, so that nothing harms you, but the rest will keep an eye on you as well."

She nodded, and placed a hand on his cheek, which he kissed and held. "I'm so proud of you, my love," she murmured. They kissed and then ran towards the city gates.

There were darkspawn everywhere. The evil things stood their ground and growled at them hungrily. Azure and Alistair quickly began to hack through them and the rest followed suit. They fought bravely and Alistair became Azure's shadow as she deftly danced around the darkspawn.

Soon, the darkspawn lay dead at their feet. Aedan made his way over to where Riordan stood.

Riordan told him what had to be done. His plan was to draw the archdemon to the top of Fort Drakon and from there they would be able to slay it.

Alistair fussed over Azure, wiping the darkspawn blood off her like he always did, as the rest filed up to Aedan, and said their goodbyes. Morrigan was among the last, and Aedan thanked her for doing what she had done quietly.

Soon, Alistair stood before him, his arm over Azure's shoulder. He waited for her to say what she needed to say to Aedan. She was crying quietly.

"Mother and Father would be proud of you Aedan! You are amazing!" She flung herself into his arms and they embraced briefly. Then it was Alistair's turn.

"Alistair, you don't need to worry anymore. Everything will turn out all right. Trust me," he said.

"What do you mean, Aedan?" Alistair asked.

"You'll see," he said in a cryptic tone and they hugged.

"Aedan, I'll watch your back in there," Alistair whispered, a lump in his throat.

"You'd better!" Aedan grinned. "Let's go, brother. The archdemon awaits."

Alistair said goodbye to Azure, who protested. "I want to go! Why can't I go?"

"Darling, it is less dangerous for you here, trust me," Alistair said holding her closely.

She looked at her brother. "You should listen to him, Azure. He knows what is best for you, sister," his eyes twinkled. "I'll come back, don't worry."

Then, the four of them turned and ran along the path towards the market square, while the soldiers and the rest of their group cheered them on.

Aedan, Alistair, Leliana and Morrigan did not pause nor look back.

...

The fight in the market square was tough.

The darkspawn general was a hurlock who had amazing strength. And he had a lot of ogres with him.

Morrigan worked on stunning the ogres and freezing them, while Alistair and Aedan brought them down. The emissaries appeared then, and Alistair flung out his arms and used holy smite to bring down the first one, which he promptly decapitated. Aedan ran to the other one that appeared, and brought his shield on him, stunning him. He then overpowered the emissary, and ended up plunging his sword directly into its skull.

Leliana was busy shooting fire arrows and pinning them to the ground briefly. That worked to their advantage because Morrigan finished them off with her cone of cold spell. They lunged at the general finally, but their stamina was low. Morrigan began to consume lyrium potions and rejuvenated them and they continued to parry and attack the general till Aedan finally killed him.

"Where to now, my brother?" Alistair panted beside him, catching his breath.

"I'm thinking, what place would be the weakest for the darkspawn to attack? It has to be a place where people are more vulnerable, and where there are no soldiers around that would protect them."

"The Elven Alienage!" Alistair exclaimed. "We must hurry, before it's too late!"

"Lead on, my King," Aedan smiled.

And they went through the doors that led to the alienage.

...

Shianni met them when they arrived. She was relieved to see them and quickly explained that a large horde of darkspawn would soon arrive. Aedan asked her to get the elves to safety and told her to leave. He would take care of the problem for them.

They stood at the makeshift gates, the horde on the other side, an ogre pounding to break through.

As soon as the gates collapsed, the horde attacked.

The darkspawn general this time was a powerful emissary, and its spells were extremely dangerous. Aedan and Alistair worked together to bring him down. Alistair quickly cleansed the area and drained the emissary of its mana, while Aedan continued hacking into him. Morrigan cast sleep over all the darkspawn, the emissary included, and this is what truly helped them defeat it.

The fight was longer, the darkspawn kept appearing and as soon as they got rid of one, ten more would take its place. Morrigan cast all the offensive spells she could, while drinking a great deal of lyrium potions to replenish her mana. Leliana fired strategic arrows to scatter the darkspawn, making it easier for Aedan and Alistair to slice through them. They worked together, and finally were able to finish them off.

Shianni stood in the center of the alienage, and was very grateful for their assistance. She gave Aedan a ring to help him in his future battles and they said their goodbyes. It was time to head over to the palace. From there, Fort Drakon was relatively close.

...

They finally reached the top of Fort Drakon. Riordan had fallen to his death while trying to kill the Archdemon. Morrigan exchanged glances with Aedan, and he nodded briefly at her with a small smile.

She had been right, and Aedan knew that as long as they kept their wits about them, nobody was going to die when the time finally came to kill the archdemon.

They went up the stairs and faced the dragon, which was lashing out at the soldiers already there.

Aedan spotted the ballista that were scattered in four different points around the area. He quickly armed one and began to fire at the archdemon. Fortunately for them, Riordan had managed to slash one of its wings open and it could no longer fly away, but it could fly short distances and they had to be on their toes in order to escape the dragon's spells and get out of its way so that the fire it spit out would not burn them to a crisp. When the ballista Aedan was using got stuck, Leliana quickly fixed it. But by then, the archdemon had managed to move away, so they chased it to its new location.

In the meantime, the darkspawn were closing in on them. Arl Eamon was fighting and killing as many as he could. Alistair turned around in time to see him make a reckless dash for the archdemon.

"Eamon, look out!"Alistair cried. And before Eamon had a chance to react, the great dragon had taken him into his mouth and bitten hard, crushing into his armor. Then it tossed him away, like a broken doll. It opened its mouth and roared, and Alistair could have sworn that it was laughing.

Eamon hit the ground, already dead and the battle cry that left Alistair's throat could be heard all over the top of the tower. He lunged himself at the dragon, pausing only to jump gracefully on its back, and brought his father's sword on him slicing its neck. The dragon fell, but it was still alive.

Alistair pulled his sword out, and one of the darkspawn rushed to attack him from behind, but he swerved around and deflected its blows with his shield. The First Enchanter was there as well, his powerful spells killing many of the darkspawn that flocked around them.

Aedan looked at the dying archdemon and knew what he had to do. The people in his group were already tired and wounded, they would not be able to keep up at this rate. His trusty sword Starfang had fallen somewhere. He could not waste time looking for it now. Looking around him, he spotted a greatsword hilt, which was sticking out of a dead corpse. He ran to pull it out, and made a beeline for the dying dragon, sliding when he was near, in order to avoid being struck by its swerving head and neck. He dug the greatsword underneath the dragon, mortally wounding it. The head fell back to the ground with a crash. This time it did not have any strength left to fight back at the Warden that was killing it.

Mustering all the strength he had left, Aedan raised the greatsword high over his head, and brought it down upon the dragon's skull, while screaming out the phrase that Alistair constantly used. His scream reached the whole roof, and reverberated against the stone walls.

"For the Grey Wardens!"

The light that burst forth from the archdemon was blinding, as Alistair, Morrigan and Leliana stood there trying to see what was happening. Leliana tried to run towards Aedan, but Alistair held her back and shook his head sadly. Aedan struggled with the sword, and then...

There was a great explosion. It came from the dragon and hurled them all back. The force of the explosion knocked the wind out of them, and they landed on the floor, unconscious.

The archdemon was dead. The darkspawn quit the field and ran back to the Deep Roads.

Victory was theirs, and the Blight was finally over.

...

Azure paced nervously waiting for someone to come down from Fort Drakon. She knew it was over, because everyone was cheering and the darkspawn had fled. She prayed for a miracle, but she knew that her brother had died up there. Tears were streaming down her cheeks quietly while she waited.

Then, a group of soldiers that were close to the inner gates that led to the rest of the city started to cheer, as Alistair appeared and gave an order to get somebody's body off the tower. Azure heard him plainly and her tears fell faster. It was Aedan. It had to be. Who else could it be?

Her breath caught in her throat suddenly when Aedan appeared behind Alistair, seeking her out among the group. She ran to his waiting arms and embraced him tightly, Leliana and Alistair close behind him.

"Oh, Aedan! You're alive! But, how is this possible?" She cried, tears of joy and relief on her cheeks.

"I'll tell you later, little sister. For now, we must make sure they bring down the arl's body. We must go tell his wife, and mourn him."

Alistair hugged Azure tightly. "I have already made arrangements for a pyre for him. We'll meet outside the palace to see his soul off to the Maker later. I must go find Isolde. Azure, can you come with me?"

"Of course, my darling," she murmured and put her arm around his waist, walking towards the docks, where the ships stood. It was here that the majority of the people had stayed, on ships in the water, safe from the reach of the darkspawn.

The ships were already docking and Alistair made his way to one of the royal ones, that was at the far end of one of the docks. Isolde was standing there, waiting for her husband to return.

...

They camped near the palace after the funeral for Eamon.

Alistair had ordered a group of soldiers to collect the dead to burn them in a pyre as well, and they had to go through that as well. The smell of burning flesh went on all night and Azure was sick nearly all the time.

The place where they were camping was relatively clear of bodies, and Alistair did not rest at all that night, meeting with soldiers and people who were promising their help in clearing out the debris. He organized them in groups and shifts. They insisted that the palace should be cleared out first, but Alistair would not agree to that.

"No," he said quietly. "We all work on everything at the same time. We'll divide the work amongst us."

Teagan tried to stop him from clearing away some of the debris the following morning. "Alistair! You're the king! You shouldn't go around doing these things."

"I have to help the people. We will rebuild the city together. I want to help," he said. "And I'm stubborn too, so you'd better not try to convince me to do otherwise because you'll be wasting your breath." Teagan grinned at him when he heard his words.

He stood before him, wearing a simple shirt and breeches, his sleeves rolled up and covered in grim and sweat but the future King of Ferelden had a smile on his face, and was kind and helpful to everyone.

The people loved him for what he was doing.

And he stayed with them and worked with them, and did not stop until he was satisfied.

And even though the Coronation had not taken place yet, they called him the king with the common touch.


	25. The King, The Hero and Love

**Thanks to my two reviewers, Harmakhis and Jinx1983, you two rock! :D **

**This chapter mainly sets the scene for the future ones...**

**Bioware owns, and I fool around. :D **

Chapter 24 - The King, The Hero and Love

Alistair walked briskly down the corridor, his armored boots making a soft clanking noise against the stone floor. He was running late for a meeting with Teagan who was doing his best to plan his coronation to the last detail. It did not help that he had been detained by Azure, not that he minded being detained by her at all. He smiled as the memory of her scent and passion lingered in his mind, heart and body.

He pushed the memory aside for now. He had a lot of things to focus on, the Coronation only being one of them. They had only just moved into the Palace yesterday evening. Aedan wanted to speak to him and to tell the truth, he was eager to speak to Aedan as well. He still didn't know how Aedan had managed to survive, and that miracle, which was a cause of great happiness to Azure and himself, was beginning to gnaw at him at an alarming rate. He doubted the source of the miracle had anything to do with the Maker or anything holy for that matter, and strongly suspected it had a lot to do with Morrigan, who had simply vanished as soon as the archdemon had been slain.

Then there was the matter of Anora, still a prisoner in one of the cells in Fort Drakon. He had to arrange for a public hearing in front of the nobles in Denerim. The last time she had spoken at the Landsmeet, she had blatantly told everyone present that she would have not hesitated in ordering for his execution immediately had she been in his place.

He had to deal with her, and it had to be public, and it wouldn't be pleasant.

He sighed as he finally reached the door to his study, which was his final destination.

When he opened it, he started. Teagan was there, but there were two other gentlemen in the room as well.

"Ah, Your Majesty. You are finally here," Teagan paused for a moment. "These two gentlemen are-"

"Grey Wardens," Alistair finished for him quickly. He had recognized the pull of the Taint as soon as he entered the room. He held out a hand to greet them and the two men smiled at him. Coldly and with a lot of reservation, Alistair noted.

"Warden Alistair Theirin, or should we address you as Your Highness," said the older-looking man, still smiling at him.

"Warden would be fine. Even though I'm king, I still haven't been crowned officially and I am and always will be a Warden," he finished. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"Allow us to first introduce ourselves. My name is Jonas Pernin, and this is my companion, Junior Warden Calaheb."

"Pleased to meet you both. Would you like anything to eat or drink? I know that you are probably hungry," Alistair smiled, his own hunger evident at the moment anyway.

"No, this is a brief visit, we already have rooms at the Gnawed Noble Tavern, and will be heading there shortly. We just want to ask you a few questions, if we may," the older warden requested.

"Certainly. Please sit," Alistair nodded at two oversized chairs in the room as Teagan excused himself, saying that he would be back shortly.

"No, please stay Teagan. We have a lot to discuss and I don't want to have to send a small army looking for you all over the palace once we are done talking."

The older warden lifted an eyebrow and his words were cold and calculated. "I would suggest he leave. I mean no disrespect, but the matter I wish to discuss with you is strictly Grey Warden business." His voice held a commanding tone and a finality to it. It made Alistair dislike the man even more than he already did.

"Of course, I understand," he muttered, then turning to Teagan, "It looks like the guards will be getting some exercise after all, when they go looking for you."

"No worries, Alistair, I will be at the palace library." Teagan smiled and bowed to all of them, then left the room.

When the door closed behind him, Alistair turned to the wardens.

Pernin wasted no time. "Warden Alistair, you and your fellow Grey Warden survived the archdemon. You know that the one who struck the final blow should have died. The reply in your letter that was sent back to the First Warden was unsatisfactory, as it did nothing to explain the situation to him. This is why we were sent here."

He leaned forward in his chair, an unreadable expression on his face as he coolly regarded Alistair.

"Do you know why Warden Aedan Cousland killed the Archdemon and lived?"

...

Leliana was busy chatting to Azure, and for once Azure was actually enjoying her mindless chatter. It felt good to be planning her own wedding and she let herself be caught in the joy of the moment.

It had been three weeks since the Blight had ended, and they were currently in the throne room where the best seamstresses in Denerim stood before them. There were only three of them who had been called to the palace and they were all very proud of their work. But Leliana had managed to make each one of them feel the urgent need to outdo the other two.

At the moment, the large table placed in the room at Azure's request, was laden with lovely dresses, and since she had no idea what was fashionable or proper for both a Coronation and a Wedding, she was letting Leliana handle the situation.

Of course, her eyes were drawn to two of the dresses on the table, and she could not help but whisper to Leliana about them, taking care not to be overheard by the seamstresses. She didn't want to cause a catfight, as they were already glaring at each other.

Leliana, being a cunning bard, quickly caught Azure's dreamy gaze when she looked at two of the dresses. She immediately suggested that Azure should try on the first one, which would be perfect for the Coronation in her opinion. It was burgundy and gold, which were two of the colors in the Theirin Coat of Arms and she liked the low-cut in the front, even though it was not as low as the dresses worn in Orlais. The material was soft and flowing, made primarily of organdy and silk. It had a narrow waist, but the material hung loosely from the waist, so it would not cling to her and she liked that.

Leliana knew that Azure was pregnant, but the way the dress was made promised not to reveal that. She was grateful that the Royal Wedding was to take place a month after Alistair's official coronation, though, as her eyes fell momentarily on the other dress that Azure had pointed out to her, which was a cream-colored, lacey one.

She was waiting for Azure to come back into the room, and wondered if she should have insisted on accompanying her to help her into the dress, instead of the seamstress, when the side door opened and Alistair walked inside.

He looked wildly around the room with a very worried expression on his face. He smiled when he saw Leliana, and made a beeline towards her, ignoring the two other ladies in the room who immediately curtsied, and the guards who followed him closely behind.

"Oh, Leliana! Thank the Maker you are here. Maybe you can tell me where I can find-" He stopped talking, his mouth parted and his breathing hitched, as he caught sight of something directly behind Leliana at that very moment.

The 'something' was really a 'someone'. Azure had just walked in interrupting his speech. As a matter of fact, she had interrupted his train of thought. He could only gawk at her totally dumbstruck at the beautiful vision before him which seemed to be floating towards him in his mind.

Like a magnet, his eyes were suddenly drawn to her breasts, which were tantalizingly, and very slightly exposed. The dress hugged her breasts and lifted them, only just covering what needed to be covered. He wet his lips unconsciously as his imagination slowly uncovered the area for him and felt his trousers getting tighter around his groin.

_Maker's breath! Maker's breath! Maker's breath! Just breathe, Alistair, just breathe!_

His brain refused to think of anything else at the moment. It had ceased to function.

Leliana giggled at the look on his face, and eyed Azure critically. Yes. The dress would do. It was not as low cut as she would have wished, but it still kept in with the fashion. She nodded at Azure, who was laughing softly at the expression on Alistair's face.

Alistair came back to earth with a start as Leliana waved a hand in front of his face. He blushed a deep red and started to stammer and babble of course.

"Oh, I- I, hello Leliana! It's a nice day today, isn't it?" He struggled with his words. "I- Maker's breath!" He swore as Azure leaned over to him and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Azure, let the poor man speak," Leliana chided and Azure pouted, while she gave Alistair quick glance, lowering her lashes for a moment. Leliana giggled again at this. "Really, Azure! Go and get changed. I like it too. It's perfect for the Coronation."

"It is?" Alistair managed to get out weakly. His voice was a bit high-pitched.

"Yes, it is. You will have to stop that, Alistair. It won't do to have you falling apart during your own Coronation, now, will it?" Leliana said.

"Yes, my love. Remember, you need to get a grip on your emotions. Practice what I've been trying to teach you," Azure said coyly.

"You little minx," Alistair growled under his breath as his hand playfully and quickly squeezed her bottom, causing her to squeal. "I'll deal with _you_ later."

"I can't wait, _Your Highness_," she said. She turned, leaving the room to change back into her simple blue dress.

Alistair's eyes followed her retreating figure hungrily but he shook his head and turned to Leliana.

"I just wanted to know if by any chance you knew where Aedan is? I don't want to have anyone search for him just yet but I need to speak to him urgently." He said hurriedly. He still had to speak to Teagan about the coronation and he was now feeling slightly annoyed as he remembered the visit of the two wardens from Weisshaupt, which had left only a few minutes ago.

"I think he went to Wade's Emporium. He wanted to go pick up his warden armor, and see if the guards' armor was ready for the Coronation. Would you like me to tell him to see you when he returns?"

"Yes, Leliana, that would be appreciated," he smiled back at the redhead. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but Teagan is waiting for me in the study by now, and I need to speak to him about the Coronation. If you will excuse me?"

"No need to be so formal with me, Alistair," Leliana giggled. "I'll let Aedan know as soon as he returns."

"Thanks!" He murmured gratefully. Promptly turning on the spot, he smiled brightly at the other two ladies in the room, who dissolved into twittering giggles and went out through the door he had used to come into the room, his guards falling into step behind him immediately.

...

They all sat at the long table in the dining room. Alistair had not had a chance to speak to Aedan all day and was looking a bit annoyed. He didn't want to talk to him now in front of the rest, so he tried to make the best out of dinner, and continued to eat heartily. He wasn't paying attention to the conversation flowing around him at all .

Wynne, Zevran, Leliana, Aedan, Sten, Teagan and Azure sat at the table chatting animatedly. Well, Sten didn't chat, but he was eating. Oghren just drank, and considered leaving for Lake Calenhad to visit Felsi as soon as the Coronation was over. Shale stood away from the table, regarding everyone with a stony expression, which came naturally to her, since she was a stone golem. She held a soft spot for Azure, Aedan and Wynne, and had stayed with them, even though she knew it would soon be time for her to move on. She wondered how many darkspawn she could kill on her own. Probably not many. She certainly was better at killing birds, she concluded.

Alistair cleared his throat, meaning to talk to Aedan, who was sitting next to him, but he was interrupted by Teagan standing up and proposing a toast to the future King of Ferelden. Everyone cheered and clapped, and they wanted a speech.

"Well, you will all have to wait for my speech tomorrow, after the Coronation," his eyes twinkled. "But of course, it will all be about Aedan, who will be formally announced 'The Hero of Ferelden'. So let me propose a toast now." He raised his glass, looking at Aedan. "To the Hero of Ferelden!"

Then he leaned over and whispered to Aedan. "How in the Maker's name did you manage to live after you killed the Archdemon?"

Aedan looked back at Alistair, and his laughter died very quickly. "Oh, yes. About that..." He leaned towards Alistair, "We have to talk after dinner Alistair."

"Thank the Maker! I've been wanting to talk to you all day," Alistair said sincerely.

"Well, by the time I'm done saying what I have to say, I doubt you'll be wanting to talk much afterwards."


	26. The Coronation

**Thants to Jinx1983 for her wonderful review! **

**Bioware owns :) **

Chapter 25 - The Coronation

"You _what_?" Alistair thundered at Aedan. His face looked murderous. "Do you realize what you've done? How could you have trusted _her_?"

"Alistair! Don't make him feel worse than he already does," Azure pleaded. "It saved his life, and that is what is important, my love."

"Yes, never mind she is going to have his demon baby," Alistair replied sarcastically, still looking at Aedan, who fidgeted uncomfortably.

"She told me that the child would not be evil. She stressed this," Aedan shot back.

"And you believed her? Maker's breath!" Alistair said, lifting his hands to his head. They automatically went to his hair, and he ran his fingers through it in desperation.

He shook his head, and walked to the chair in his study, sinking into it, a worried frown on his brow.

"So let me talk to the wardens from Weisshaupt," Aedan said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "I'll explain what happened."

"What, you're going to tell them the truth?" Alistair asked, his voice weak.

"Well, what other option is there?" Aedan asked. "Do you want me to lie about it? And if you do, what do I say to them? What would honestly convince them?"

...

Try as he might, Alistair did not get much sleep that night. He had fallen asleep earlier with Azure in his arms after a passionate session of love-making, but now lay awake, tossing and turning on the bed. He knew it was probably due to nerves because of his impending coronation the following day, but also realized that the whole conversation with Aedan and what he had revealed was the true cause of his insomnia.

He turned to Azure and a gentle smile appeared on his face, as he watched her sleeping face. Taking care not to wake her, he stood up and walked quietly to the fireplace, his bare feet hardly making any noise on the carpeted stone floor. He stoked the fire and put in more logs as quietly as possible then stood there for a moment, looking into the flames.

The whole burden of becoming king suddenly weighed heavily upon his shoulders. He was thankful that Azure was by his side, and that he had her in his life. He thought about what it would mean for her brother to suddenly be taken from her side by the Wardens and hauled to Weisshaupt and he shook his head sadly. No, he couldn't let that happen.

Azure stirred in her sleep, mumbling softly under her breath and he turned and went to the bed, slipping under the sheets quietly. She nestled into his arms and a sigh escaped her smiling lips. He smiled and held her, placing soft kisses on the crown of her head and onto her hair.

"Can't sleep?" She purred.

"No. I guess it's because of the big day tomorrow..." his voice trailed off, and he fixed his gaze on her.

She stretched, oblivious of what her naked body did to him, and he felt the sparks in his stomach travel quickly to his groin.

Her green eyes were looking at him seductively now.

"I think I know what would help you sleep, Your Majesty," she teased.

Alistair gave her a wicked grin, and sank into her softness as he crushed his lips upon her.

He slept like a baby afterwards.

...

Alistair turned to face the nobles in the room who were cheering. There was quite a crowd of people. He raised his hand to all, waving it slightly, acknowledging their apparent happiness at having a king again.

When the cheering had died down, he cleared his throat to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make a couple of announcements, before we all set out to the coronation feast."

There was a bit of murmuring around the crowd of nobles, but that died down when Alistair raised his hand gesturing for silence.

"First of all, I wish to present to you all my betrothed, Lady Azure Cousland. She will become your queen in a very short time," he ended his announcement with a grin, and held out his hand to a lovely young woman dressed in a beautiful burgundy and gold gown, who smiled slightly and walked up the stairs to kneel before him. She took his proffered hand and stood up blushing and smiling. His heart skipped a beat. He kept his hand entwined in hers after that, and gave her a loving look before turning once more to the nobles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have survived a Blight. None of us would be here, were it not for the one who slew the archdemon and ended the Blight. May I present to you the Hero of Ferelden, Aedan Cousland."

The nobles broke into louder cheers than before, and the applause was deafening. Aedan came up the steps to kneel before Alistair also, and Alistair grinned down at him. Aedan straightened up and grinned back.

"My friend, it is hard to imagine how you could have aided Ferelden more. It is only fair that I return the favor. As a reward, I offer you a boon of your choice." Alistair grinned.

"I only wish to continue to serve the Grey Wardens, Your Majesty."

"I suspect they will be overjoyed to hear that," Alistair smiled, glancing briefly at the two Wardens from Weisshaupt before turning to face the crowd again. "Let it also be known that the arling of Amaranthine has been granted to the Grey Wardens. There they shall rebuild, following the footsteps of those that came before them."

Turning to Aedan he asked, "What are your plans?"

"I don't know, Your Highness. I'll have to discuss them with the Grey Wardens," Aedan said.

Alistair smiled. The wardens from Weisshaupt were looking a bit surprised at what they were witnessing. Apparently they had thought that Aedan would choose to remain in court.

"A final announcement, if I may," Alistair said loudly. "I have the honor of presenting Teagan Guerrin, as my Chancellor and Lead Advisor."

Teagan, who was standing behind Alistair, now stood in front bowing to him.

The crowd applauded automatically, though there was some murmuring. Both Teagan and he knew that this would happen, as there were nobles amongst them who had wanted to become advisors to the crown themselves.

A voice boomed out from the midst of the crowd. "Your Majesty! May I have a word?"

Alistair turned towards where he thought the voice came from. A thin man dressed in dragonbone armor was approaching the steps, but before he could arrive to his destination, both Azure and Aedan gasped. Azure ran to the man as he opened his arms to her.

"Fergus!" She yelled, and embraced him tightly. Aedan ran down and gave his brother a bear hug as well, while Alistair stood looking down at the scene, smiling happily.

"Fergus Cousland?"

"Your Majesty!" Fergus stood straight and regarded the new king with a smile on his lips.

"I am relieved to find you are unharmed! This is a most wonderful surprise," he grinned.

"I am surprised too, Your Majesty. I never thought I'd arrive to see the coronation, and when I heard you announce you are marrying my sister, well, that totally surprised me as well," he flashed a brilliant smile, not unlike the ones that Aedan and Azure had given him in the past.

"We have much to talk about," Alistair grinned at him. "We will do so during the celebration. Before we go, I would like to ask for someone else to come before me." He gestured to the guards. "This will take but a moment of your time, Lords and Ladies."

The crowd started to murmur and shifted restlessly. While the guards were gone, Fergus, Aedan and Azure chatted for a bit and hugged again.

After a few minutes, Azure went to stand beside Alistair's side, a brilliant smile on her face as she took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

The side door to the throne room opened, and the guards flanked a blond woman who stood before the king. The crowd's murmurs increased in volume. Teagan had a worried frown on his face.

Alistair raised his hand, asking for silence. The murmurs subsided and everyone stood and waited.

"Anora Mac Tir," Alistair's loud voice carried across the throne room. "You have been brought here before me because I wish to ask you something, hoping you have had time to reconsider." A pause, as Anora regarded him with her icy blue eyes.

"Do you swear fealty to your king? If you do, you will be pardoned and released."

"I will never swear my fealty to you. Not all the nobles hold you in their esteem," Anora said in a clear voice. There were audible gasps amongst the people.

Alistair's gaze saddened.

"Very well. Anora, you will be imprisoned at Fort Drakon for another week until the nobles and I gather here once again to sentence you. Guards, take her away."

The whispering started immediately, and as she was led out of the room, a cry was heard at the very back.

"Long live the Queen!"

Alistair had his eyes on both Zevran and Leliana. A brief nod and they disappeared among the crowd.

...

Senior Warden Jonas Pernin stood before Aedan and the king, while his companion fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Ah, Warden Aedan, I finally catch up with you. You are a hard man to find," Pernin said smugly.

"Senior Warden Pernin, it is an honor to make your acquaintance," Aedan's head inclined briefly. Alistair knew that it wasn't an honor for him at all, and fought back a smile as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to say and do.

"I will be direct. We have been sent here by the First Warden to inquire about your - er- ability to have survived after killing the Archdemon. You know very well that the Warden who deals the final blow dies, yet you are standing here before me. Truly a miraculous feat in itself, is it not?" His face wore a smirk as he regarded Aedan, his eyes narrowed. He looked like a snake, readying himself for the final strike.

Aedan said nothing to this, but he did grin at him, which wiped the smirk off the Senior Warden's face.

"I find it really fortunate to have escaped my death, really," he chuckled. "Maybe the Archdemon decided that my soul was too much for it to handle?"

Pernin scowled at the man's levity and Aedan's grin deepened. Alistair fought back a smile.

"If you do not give me the answers I seek, I will be forced to take you ba-"

"I wish to suggest something if I may?" Alistair's voice interrupted him and the Senior Warden stared back at Alistair incredulously. Evidently, he was not used to being interrupted.

"It occurs to me that there will be a need of rebuilding the order in Ferelden. I have, after all, just granted the arling of Amaranthine to the wardens of Ferelden. Sadly, there are only two of us here and I am the king, so it is impossible for me to take up this task." Alistair said, keeping his emotions in check. "I hereby appoint Aedan Cousland Warden Commander of Ferelden, as I am not able to take the title. I'm sure that the First Warden will be relieved when he receives my missive which I sent out to him early this morning informing him of this decision. After the Blight and with so many darkspawn still in Ferelden, it is urgent that new wardens be recruited given the circumstances. I am merely alleviating the situation and saving him from a needless headache of finding a suitable Warden Commander for the task."

Senior Warden Jonas Pernin stood before the King of Ferelden and for the first time in his life found himself at a loss for words.

Alistair moved in for the kill.

"I'm sure you will agree that it would be impossible for you to take him to Weisshaupt, without first getting a reply from the First Warden. It would be a _terrible_ and grievous mistake on your part to leave Ferelden in the hands of a warden who cannot rebuild the order and must rule the nation as king. It would pose a problem for the order, should anything tragic come to happen while the warden who survived a Blight and saved Ferelden and Thedas from a tragic end, is taken away from the land and people he would readily choose to defend, don't you agree? I strongly suggest that we wait for the First Warden's reply, before taking the matter any further."

Alistair did not suppress the smile this time.

"If you will excuse us, we have to mingle with the guests. The Hero of Ferelden has a lot of mingling to do, as there are many grateful people here who wish to express their gratitude," Alistair bit back a chuckle and inclined his head to the two men.

"Please enjoy yourselves in the meantime."

The look on the Senior Warden's face was priceless. The junior warden that stood behind him was grinning.

It seemed to them that the Senior Warden was not a very popular man at all.


	27. Unexpected Events

**I just realized that I made a mistake and incorrectly numbered the chapters, but there is no information missing and this is indeed Chapter 27. Sorry about that .**

**There is a reason why Alistair is having such dark thoughts at the beginning of this chapter. This reason will be revealed in the future.**

**I may not be able to update every day, due to sudden events that have only recently happened at home, but will continue to update as promptly as I can, I promise! :) **

**Thanks to Virginia Gale, Harmakhis and Jinx1983 for their fabulous reviews! :D **

**Bioware owns! ;) **

Chapter 27 - Unexpected Events

There were dark circles under Alistair's eyes. He needed Zevran and Leliana back soon, but in truth they had been out all night and it was already time for a quick mid-day meal before devoting his afternoon studying matters of governance with Teagan and the hundreds of books in the palace library.

He was not looking forward to that.

The study where he held most of his private meetings, and where he was now had once belonged to Cailan. One of the first things Alistair had done, when going through the different things in the palace had been put away or sell most of Cailan and Anora's belongings in this vast room and set up his own instead. Since the majority of his belongings consisted of his growing collection of statuettes, these had been placed around the room in different places, basically as book ends.

So, he had done away with the garish ornaments he had found and as a result, the room looked sober and simple, but comfortable. The only thing that Alistair had not gotten rid of was the portrait of his father, King Maric, which stared down at him from the wall on top of the fireplace. He hadn't taken the portrait down because Azure had remarked that she liked it.

Next to the portrait was the Theirin Coat of Arms depicted on a shield. It was the only colorful thing in the room.

The look on Maric's face was playful and taunting at the same time, one of his eyebrows was lifted and anyone who saw that face would immediately see the striking resemblance between Alistair and Maric, the only difference being the color of their hair and eyes.

Alistair's eyes were on that portrait now, and he leaned back to regard it, a myriad of expressions changing quickly on his face, the strongest being one of anger.

"If you had any idea what my future would be, would you still have hidden me away and given up on me so easily? If I had only been given a chance, maybe I would know what the fuck to do, wouldn't I? Instead of dealing with the rejection I've dealt with all my life, maybe I would now be a normal king, without a death sentence coursing through my blood."

His dark thoughts now turned to the child that Azure was carrying. He would love this child with all his heart, only to have to leave him or her, to go die in the Deep Roads. He would have to leave the mother of this child, the light and love of his life, to fight the final battle with the darkspawn deep in the Dead Trenches in response to his Calling. He only had twenty-nine years left, if fate was kind to him.

A knock on the door interrupted his dark thoughts.

Alistair gathered his self-control and pushed the dark thoughts away. He was a bit surprised at how easy it was becoming for him to keep his emotions under control. Or maybe it was because he was extremely tired and the strain of being angry wore him down a lot more than before. _Easier to wear a smile than a frown. _His lips were certainly more used to smiles than frowns anyway.

"Enter," he said briskly.

Aedan, Azure and Fergus walked in. He looked up at Azure, who was looking at him worriedly. Two servants arrived carrying trays with food and drinks which they set on a table in the middle of the room. They bowed and exited the room.

"Please sit down," Alistair smiled mechanically as he himself sat on the oversized chairs surrounding the table. Azure sat next to him and the two brothers sat across him. "I'm really glad you decided to take my offer of having lunch with me," he continued to smile as he took a big piece of cheese and peeled off the wax before dropping it into the bowl of hot beef stew in front of him.

"We are honored, Your Majesty," Fergus said a smile on his face.

"Please, Fergus, just Alistair. We are to be brother-in-laws very soon," Alistair said smiling back.

"Yes, that's true." Fergus smiled back at him.

"Fergus will be leaving for Highever in a few days, Alistair. He wants to start putting things in order and rebuilding there," Aedan said.

"I was wondering if I could impose on you and ask you to stay in Denerim a big longer?" Alistair asked hopefully.

"What do you need? I'll gladly help out anyway I can," Fergus replied.

"Well, you are the Teryn of Highever, and the nobles in the Landsmeet look up to you. There is the problem of a certain growing opposition. The former queen still has her followers. You saw what happened last night."

"I will stay for as long as you want me to, You-Alistair." Fergus smiled earnestly at him.

"That is good to know. I have sent out two friends and former travelling companions to help me discover more about the person who openly opposed me at the Coronation. Unfortunately, they have not yet returned, so I have no clue of who it might be. I would like you to stand beside me at Anora's hearing."

"No worries, Alistair. I shall be there," Alistair was touched. He was indeed a Cousland and a good man .

They spent the rest of their meal eating and Azure teased Fergus on several occasions which made Alistair smile and appreciate their company.

There was a knock on the door and at Alistair's bidding, the door opened to reveal Leliana standing there. Aedan quickly stood up and went up to her. He placed a quick peck on her cheek and guided her to the table.

"Tell me what's going on, Leliana? Where is Zevran?" Alistair inquired.

"Zevran went on to follow another lead, Alistair. I'm afraid they have been leading us around in circles most of the night. We do know for sure now that a group of people is behind this, and they are planning something big."

Alistair nodded, and remained calm, though the turmoil inside him grew at her words.

"We'll have to redouble the vigilance in the palace, Alistair. We do not know what they are up to, but I doubt it is anything to overlook," Leliana said darkly. "They could take action against you or Azure. We don't know what they are planning to do yet, but Zevran has a suspicion that it could be an attempt on your lives."

Alistair nodded, his hand unconsciously slipping into Azure's which she squeezed reassuringly.

"Teagan should be here shortly. He has been changing the guards all around the palace already and placing other guards in other spots as well. He thinks Anora may have a plan to depose me."

"Maker's breath!" Fergus's shocked voice chimed in.

A knock on the door and Teagan walked into the room. He bowed and smiled at the Couslands, and turned to Alistair.

"Well, we have more guards in strategic positions now, Alistair. The palace is better guarded than before," he said and sat down on the empty chair beside Azure.

"Now all we have to do is wait for Zevran to reappear, and take it from there," Alistair concluded.

...

That night, Alistair tossed and turned in his bed alone. Since Fergus was at the palace, Azure had suggested she move into her chambers for the time being. Their wedding was to take place soon as well, so she thought it would make the wedding night even more pleasurable if they slept in separate beds.

Her chambers were right next to Alistair's and had a door that connected to his rooms, so they could visit each other at any time of the day or night which is why he had agreed to her decision in the first place.

He sat up in bed, finally admitting that he would not get much sleep that night either. Ever since the final battle, he had not been getting much sleep at all anyway. He stood up and stoked the fire, and turned, his eyes falling on the door that led to her rooms. While he did not wish to wake her, because she needed to rest in her condition, he felt he must and quickly shortened the distance opening the door.

As he walked towards the bed, his eyes fell on a broken vase which had previously sat on the table right next to it. A growing sense of horror came upon him when he reached the bed.

Azure was gone.

...

Zevran quickly blended into the shadows as the three men in the room discussed their plan. He now knew everything they planned to do. He also knew that even if he ran the rest of the way to the palace, he would be too late, so he made sure he could hear as much as he could before leaving, so that the whole thing would be easier to tackle.

The men stood up and left, and Zevran followed the leader to the docks. He saw him talking to the captain of one of the ships docked there. He did not hear where the ship was bound to, so he waited in the shadows, until the men had finished their business and the leader of the group had left.

People were working around the ship and he could guess that it was soon going out to sea, so he approached one of the working men who happened to be an elf and bumped into him on purpose.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry," Zev mumbled to the young man who immediately saw that he was a fellow elf.

"That's fine," the elf smiled back at him. "What is a fellow elf doing around here? Are you seeking a passage aboard the ship?"

"Well, yes, I am through with Denerim. I do not wish to burden you with my troubles, however, I see you are busy."

"We can use another hand, the ship is off to Val Royeaux in less than an hour, and we are behind schedule."

...

Everyone woke up in the palace for Alistair was bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"You there!" He screamed at two guards stationed at the door that led to Azure's room. "Do you realize my betrothed is missing? Were you two asleep on your watch or what? How could this have happened?"

"Alistair, what's going on?" Leliana asked breathlessly, Aedan right beside her. Fergus was sleepily staring at the whole scene, taking in Alistair's red face and uncomfortable looks on the guards. Teagan appeared tucking in his shirt and surveyed the scene.

"Azure is not in her room, nor anywhere else for that matter, _that's_ what's going on!" Alistair yelled. "I'd like to know how a person can disappear when the palace is presumably so well guarded?"

He glared at Teagan who blinked, then raised his hands in desperation and turned back to the two, now cowering guards.

"Well?" He demanded as his flashed angrily. "What do you have to say to this?"

"Your Highness, we have been here all the time," one of the guards said in a low nervous voice.

"No, not all the time," the other guard interrupted him.

"Thanks for that," answered the first guard, who looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"We had to get a bite to eat, but we were only gone for a few minutes," the first guard stammered.

Alistair's jaw dropped.

"You left your post? I cannot believe this!"

"There was another guard here, Your Highness! The door was still guarded, though not by us!" The second man protested.

"A single guard?" Alistair asked quickly. He turned to Teagan. "I thought the guards were set up in pairs? We distinctly decided on that, didn't we?"

"We did," Teagan nodded in agreement. "which can mean only one thing..."

"That guard was no guard but an imposter," Alistair finished quietly as he looked at all of them briefly before bowing his head and placing his hands over his face.

...

Azure, in the meantime was furious as she struggled against her captors. She had been unconscious, having been knocked out by what she thought at first had been a guard, but now that she had regained consciousness, she found herself carried by two men who were going as quickly as they could.

"If you continue to do that, we may have to hit you again," one of the men growled at her. She suddenly felt fear for the baby growing inside her and stopped struggling.

They arrived at the docks in Denerim and she was carried into one of the ships that was preparing to sail soon and dumped into a small room. The two men locked the door on their way out.

Azure started to move her wrists, trying to loosen the knots of the rope that bound her. The door unlocked and a man walked into the room. He looked down at her and hit her over the head with a blunt club.

Darkness descended over her and the only sound heard was the sound the waves made as they gently lapped around the rocking ship.

"That ought to keep you quiet and still until we reach our destination," the man said and turned and left the room, locking the door behind him.

...

Alistair paced the room for the hundredth time.

Leliana had suggested waiting for Zevran, and had done the best she could to soothe him, but Alistair was beyond soothing. He was close to tears at the moment.

"I should have never let her sleep here. I should have kept her in the room," Alistair muttered.

Fergus jolted at this, his eyes widened and met his. "You two were- were sleeping together?"

"Yes, Fergus, we were. And before you do or say anything, I may add that I am very much in love with her and that we are going to get married in three weeks."

Fergus bristled. "She is only a child! Only just seventeen! You may be king, but-"

"Fergus, please!" Aedan said. "You are being ridiculous! Can't you see what Alistair is going through? Andraste's flaming sword, could you please let go of this foolish over protectiveness and think about Azure for a change? She is a grown woman, and has been kidnapped! We should be more worried about her right now, and her condition!"

Aedan realized he had screwed up and clapped a hand over his mouth. Alistair turned to look at him dumbly.

"Her-her _condition_?" Fergus echoed, his eyes suddenly widening as he suddenly realized what those words meant. He strode over to Alistair and looked at him directly in the eyes, his face flushed with anger.

"Before you do anything rash, Fergus, remember that when you married Oriana, she was pregnant herself, you hypocrite!" Aedan snarled behind him.

Fergus paid no attention to his words and his fist connected to Alistair's jaw with a resounding crack.

Alistair staggered back and looked at Fergus angrily.

"Well, well," said a voice from the shadows, laden with mirth. "I seem to have arrived just in time."

Zevran stepped into the room and regarded them all with a smirk on his face.


	28. Plans

**I want to thank Warrose and Jinx1983 for their awesome reviews! :D Made my day! Also thanks to all those who have added me to their alerts. I'm glad you are enjoying this fic and following it closely. **

**This chapter is sort of all Zevran, and I hope I did a good job in writing him! If not, my sincere apologies, please don't kill me! LOL **

**Bioware owns! **

**Enjoy, and by the way, I love reviews! *hint, hint* **

Chapter 28 - Plans

"Zevran!" Leliana cried out, as she gave the assassin a quick hug. "Please tell us what you have discovered."

"Zev, have you found her?" Alistair asked quickly, drawing in some air. He ignored the pain in his jaw for the moment which he knew was not broken.

"Yes, I _knew_ where she was. Alas, she is probably not there any longer. The ship left while I hurried back here. She was on board." Zevran said.

"Ship? Maker's breath! Where are they taking her?" Alistair said on the verge of tears. The thought of her on a ship being taken far away, where he couldn't reach out to protect her filled his heart with fear and desperation that he never thought he would experience. Panic took hold of him.

"They are taking her to Val Royeaux, and there was nothing we could have done to make it there in time before the ship set out to sea. It was heavily guarded as well. I needed to get back here as quickly as possible because I have another lead to follow here. From what I've learned, Anora is the one behind this. I just need to find the one who is supplying the money to pay for this operation, her _partner_ in crime as it were." Zevran said as he looked at Alistair, who was now leaning against the wall.

Nobody spoke for a while, all eyes were fixed on Alistair. Tears suddenly started streaming down his cheeks quietly, and everyone looked away to give him a private moment. Fergus shifted uncomfortably. He was the first to speak.

"Alistair, I see you love her very much. I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I was being a hypocrite, as Aedan so adeptly put it. I simply have adored Azure ever since she was a baby, and swore to always protect her. Please forgive my outburst," he mumbled sadly.

"It's fine, there is nothing to forgive," Alistair's voice was thick with emotion. He brushed his tears away impatiently. "Teagan..."

"What is it, Alistair?"

"You must fill in as my regent while I am gone and take care of Anora's hearing if we don't make it back in time," he spoke quietly but there was a note of determination in his voice that made it sound steely and surprised the others.

"Alistair, we need you here. You know that you are the only thing that is keeping all the nobles together. It is too risky for you to-" Alistair interrupted Teagan, his eyes dark with fear.

"Teagan, that's my future wife out there, and the mother of my unborn child. Screw the crown. If I cannot get her back and anything should happen to her I-" He could not bear to finish the sentence, and sat on the bed, at a loss for words.

"Might I offer you a bit of advice, my good friend Alistair?" Zevran spoke up. Alistair jerked his head up and nodded.

"I think it is time we gave the conspirators a false sense of security, yes?" He flashed a grin at them before proceeding. "We will make them believe that they have won, when in fact, they have not. The only thing we need now is evidence that cannot be denied or put aside. Evidence to procure in a Landsmeet. I could get that evidence, but I need to work here at the palace. I have a plan, and I strongly suspect it will work," he flashed Alistair a grin, and he smiled back weakly.

"What is your plan, Zevran?" Alistair asked.

"You should leave to follow her trail immediately, taking some of us with you. I will pretend to go along, but slip away without being noticed and remain behind. Teagan should remain here as your regent. Obviously, whoever is behind this knows you well, and knows that you would panic and follow the trail, seeking her out. This is why this was planned, and this is why I believe she will not be harmed. They need her and are using her as bait. I am confident I will find and secure the proof we need while you are gone, and we will be able to get the necessary evidence to turn events around in our favor."

"Aedan, Leliana and Fergus, would you come with me?" Alistair asked.

"There is no need to ask, we are already with you, my brother," Aedan said warmly as he patted Alistair's shoulder.

"Teagan, if they are planning a coup to place Anora on the throne, they will do this on the day of her hearing," Alistair told him. "You should let them carry out their plans, and allow this to happen. When we return with Azure, we will hopefully have enough evidence to put an end to this."

"That is very wisely said, Alistair. It seems that some of me has rubbed off on you, no?" Zevran smirked.

"Don't push your luck, Zevran," Alistair retorted feigning anger at his words.

But the elven assassin was not to be fooled, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and the looks exchanged between the two said it all.

...

Azure stared up at the door, and knew that she could probably pick the lock successfully, if given a chance. She did know by the sounds surrounding her that it would be extremely foolish, as the ship was at sea and she still had ropes tied around her hands and ankles.

A man had come in a short while ago, telling her he would release her so she could have something to eat and drink, but should refrain from trying to get away. She smiled wryly at his comment because she knew that she could not get away. There was simply nowhere to run and she was not a good swimmer either.

Her thoughts turned to Alistair, as they had done ever since she had come to. She envisioned his face before her, and bit her lower lip, biting down the tears that threatened to come. He would have discovered her by now. She knew he was suffering from insomnia lately and would have probably gone into her room, only to find her gone.

She would not give in to tears, because she didn't want the emotion she was feeling to hurt her unborn child in any way. She thanked the Maker that she was already ending her third month, and did not feel the regular morning sickness that she had felt only a week ago. That ordeal would not have been bearable in her present situation.

The lock on the door signaled the arrival of one of her captors, who carried a tray of food in his hands, which he placed on the floor. The man eyed her torn nightgown, and his eyes roamed over her body. She knew immediately what he wanted and prayed inwardly for him not to succumb to his desire. He made a move to cut the ropes that tied her hands, and stepped away.

"You are a pretty little thing," he murmured.

She eyed him with disgust and fear, and he gave a bark of a laugh.

"Don't worry, little one. We were given strict orders not to touch you. You are a very valuable package to us and until we receive word that everything has gone according to plan, we will not harm you in any way. Not that I believe that my touch would harm you," he caressed her cheek and she moved away, turning her face away from his.

He laughed out loud then, and she struggled to keep her fear in check and turned to eye him defiantly.

"Ah, but you are a fiery little one. Eat. I will return later for the dishes."

She watched him leave and the scent of the food overpowered her as soon as it reached her nostrils and made her feel weak. Using the spoon she had been given, she quickly devoured her food and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand when she was done. The fact that she was being fed lightened her mood considerably.

She flexed her wrists, rubbing them slightly as she pondered on the course of action she would take as soon as the ship docked. She poured some of the water that was in a pitcher on the tray and drank as she formulated a plan. When she was satisfied, she leaned back against the wall, her eyes fixed on the opposite wall in front of her, a smile playing on the corners of her lips.

...

The four of them ran into Wynne who was just arriving from a visit to the Circle Tower. When she saw them packed to go somewhere, she stopped and waited for Alistair to catch up with her.

"Wynne, they have kidnapped Azure. We are on our way to try to catch up with her and her captors," Alistair said breathlessly, while he gave her a hug. "I'm so glad that you are here."

"Kidnapped?" Wynne managed to get out.

"There is no time to explain. I know you must be tired, but-"

"Say no more, Alistair. I shall accompany you and give you all the help I am able to," Wynne said immediately without waiting for him to ask.

He squeezed her hand in gratitude and they continued their march through the city of Denerim towards the docks. From there they would take one of the Royal ships to Val Royeaux.

Two men jumped out of the shadows and Alistair turned instinctively and hit one of them without thinking. He immediately drew out his sword and shield and his body fell into a defensive stance.

"Wait one second there!" A voice called from the ground. Alistair recognized the voice and put away his sword and shield again, but made no move to help the man to his feet.

"Just where do you think you are going in the dead of night?" Senior Warden Pernin demanded, getting up and dusting off his cloak as he did so. His companion stood nearby silently watching Alistair and the rest. "We had an agreement, if I recall!"

"Get out of my way, you fool! We have no time for delays!" Alistair snarled at him and Aedan had to stop him from whipping his weapon out again.

"I'm afraid that if you break your promise I will be forced to-" Pernin began and Aedan cut him off.

"Look! My sister has been kidnapped and we are on our way to rescue her. Now if you want to come along you are welcome to, but we cannot afford to waste our time here," Aedan finished off.

"I'm not going to agree to that!" Alistair growled. "I probably won't be able to contain myself and may hurt him. Badly."

Pernin stepped back and eyed Alistair, who was beside himself with anger. He realized that they were telling the truth immediately.

"Fine! But I'll be here waiting for you when you return," he snarled.

"Of that, I have no doubt," Aedan said dryly as he took Alistair's arm and led him away.

They reached the docks without further interruptions and Alistair barked a few orders to the men on board that had been waiting for them. Zevran slipped away among the bustle and activity without being noticed. He blended into the shadows and ran off silently, his feet taking him closer to the palace with each step he took. He would have no problem slipping back into the palace. He had done it without any problems before and knew the palace layout and the lack of security in certain areas.

He would have to talk to Alistair about that once this was all over.

Once inside, he caught sight of a male figure that was trying to creep and blend into the shadows, making his way to Fort Drakon. He smiled at the man's stupid attempts to sneak and followed closely, his grin deepening when he found himself in the area where Anora was kept prisoner. He leaned against one of the walls, waiting.

"It is done, my Queen," the man said in a low voice. "They are gone, and the usurper has reacted the way you predicted. They are leaving for Val Royeaux as we speak."

"Excellent, Barlein. She will not be harmed, I hope? I need her to set in motion the second part of our plan."

"No, Your Majesty. If anyone should touch a hair on her head, that person would be killed on the spot, and the people on board are keeping tabs on each other."

"You will receive a part of your payment immediately. Set out for the point of rendezvous. She will be waiting for you with a bag of sovereigns that you will distribute to the men here. Make haste."

Zevran had heard enough, he slid into the shadows further down the corridor as he waited for the man to leave. Then, he fell behind him and followed him out of the Fort.

He would finally find out who this female partner was tonight or die in the attempt.


	29. The Coup

**Jinx1983 and Harmarkhis, your reviews are wonderful and inspiring! Thanks SO much for them! A few people have put this fic on their alerts as well! I'm really grateful to all of you! :D **

**Ok, Zev is still on, doing his thing...all hail Zev! LOL **

**Bioware owns! ;) **

Chapter 29 - The Coup

The nobles in the throne room were murmuring and whispering to each other, and their voices sounded like the humming of angry bees. Teagan braced himself for what was to come as he nodded curtly to one of the guards at the door.

Bann Cerolic surveyed the scene coldly. He was the only one that was keeping a distance from the rest, and was standing in the front, where Teagan could see him clearly. Teagan turned to look at the rest of the people and his eyes spotted someone who made him start with surprise. He could not understand why **she**, of all people, would be here today. Unless- His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and Anora walked into the room, flanked by the guards.

"Anora Mac Tir," Teagan began. "You have been called into the room to review your sentence today."

"Where is the king?" One of the nobles called out from the end of the room. "Why is he not back from his journey? Does he not care about the future of his throne?"

The room fell silent, and everyone gazed at Teagan.

"The king is away at the moment, securing treaties for the safety of Ferelden," he lied, repeating what Alistair had told him to say. "I am the regent and acting in his favor as everyone knows by now. We should proceed with the king's wishes."

"We do not know if this is what the king truly wants," another voice said. "We only know that he is not here, and his absence does not work in his favor."

There were murmurs around the room and Teagan raised a hand for silence.

"We will proceed with the hearing, lords and ladies," he said in a firm tone.

"We will not do this," a noble shouted angrily. "Our former queen stands before us. And why? Because she did not swear fealty to the present king, who is now absent from court!"

Angry cries were heard throughout the room, as the nobles now started to bicker against each other.

"Lords and ladies!" Teagan shouted, but the nobles paid no attention to Teagan.

Bann Cerolic went up the steps and stood beside Teagan.

"Lords and Ladies, we must remember that our former queen is here. She was King Cailan's wife! And it was she who ruled Ferelden with grace! I say we put her on the throne!"

Some of the nobles in the room cheered at Cerolic's suggestion.

"Let us vote on it!" Another voice was heard.

"This is not a Landsmeet!" Teagan replied but his voice was soon drowned out by the others.

As he looked down at Anora, he could see her triumphant smile and even though he knew this was going to happen, he took a step back.

The nobles continued their angry diatribe directed at the king, fueled on by Bann Cerolic. Very few of the nobles there still supported Alistair.

The shouts now heard were "We must let the Queen rule!" "We cannot afford to stand as a nation without a ruler!" "The Blight took our lands from us, we need a ruler to solve our problems!"

Bann Cerolic raised his voice.

"All hail Queen Anora!" He screamed.

"Queen Anora!" The nobles shouted in response.

And Anora, in all her icy coldness, smiled that smile of hers and stepped up to stand next to Teagan. Facing Teagan she said, "Bann Teagan, you are under arrest for treason. Guards! Take him away!"

The guards did not look confused at all. They seemed to have been expecting this.

And as Teagan was dragged away, he could not help but admire how neatly her little plan had worked.

...

Zevran watched the scene with interest, and actually felt sorry for Teagan when he was dragged away by the guards. He knew, however, that the only way of helping Teagan was to do everything he planned to do. He only needed to secure the papers that would directly incriminate Anora and her partner, and while he knew where to look, he needed to do this under the cover of night in order to be successful.

He sneaked away and decided to take a walk around the city as he waited for night to fall.

The city was in a bustle, word had already begun to spread and there was a crowd gathered around the palace, outside the gates. The people were murmuring darkly against Anora, and supported Alistair. As Zevran walked around listening to them he soon discovered that not one of them there was against Alistair.

Zevran smiled. Alistair had certainly done himself a favor by working with the people while he cleared out the debris from the Blight and helped them rebuild the city.

The doors of the palace balcony that faced the city opened and Anora stood there as she waited for the crowd to be silent.

"People of Ferelden! I have taken the throne to assure that all of you are not left without a monarch and to work endlessly towards providing all the citizens with a better life."

Contrary to what she may have thought, the people started to shout angrily at her, and Zevran grinned at the shocked look on her face. Soon, the people were throwing things angrily at the balcony and Anora was taken inside hurriedly.

"To arms! We must fight for King Alistair!" A shout was heard over the din.

"We can't fight! We need the nobles' protection and coin for weapons!" Another voice replied.

The crowd was soon dispersed by a small group of guards, but the people were still muttering angrily against Anora which was enough for him.

He walked away towards the Gnawed Noble Tavern, his eyes darting around the area, ever vigilant.

Zevran knew that he would discover which nobles supported Alistair soon enough.

...

Meanwhile, the absent king did not know what was happening in Denerim, and had he been told, he would have replied that he did not care.

They had been travelling for five days now, and each day Alistair retreated more and more from the others, till he barely spoke to them at all. They watched him silently and left him alone, mostly because he would not answer them, lost in his thoughts, his amber eyes constantly scanning the horizon.

It was Fergus who actually managed to have a conversation with him on the morning of the seventh day. Alistair was on deck as usual, his hands gripping the railing. He had been told that they would be arriving at Val Royeaux very soon, and he wanted to catch a glimpse of the docks himself.

"Alistair," Fergus said behind him.

This time Alistair turned his face slightly and smiled at him. "We are nearly there, Fergus! The ship that took her was only two hours ahead of us. We'll find her soon!" He looked like an eager puppy and Fergus smiled back at him.

"We may have trouble finding where they have taken her. Val Royeaux is not a small city," he replied.

"We have an excellent bard in our group, who knows her way around Val Royeaux very well. This works to our advantage." Alistair's smile deepened. He turned his face back to the horizon, and Fergus stood quietly beside him looking in that direction as well.

"Azure told me that your parents took her to Val Royeaux once," he said quietly, a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered the conversation. "She said that she hated the city, the people seemed too false to her and the smell of perfume made her choke." He finished with a laugh.

Fergus smiled. " Yes. They travelled together a lot. Aedan went with them sometimes. I was always training and was married by then, so I chose to remain at Highever."

"What was she like back then? Was she always so fiery and, and loveable?" Alistair blushed slightly.

Fergus laughed. "Yes. She was always a little devil. Always playing pranks on others, and had quite the temper! But she is easy to love and has always had a kind heart. Extremely clever as well."

Alistair laughed back at this. "Yes, well, she is the brains as far as I'm concerned. I'm usually just the stupid oaf that does whatever she says and throws witty one-liners at her to make her smile."

"You do whatever she says?" Fergus asked quietly.

"Of course I do! I trust her judgment and I trust and love her. Why wouldn't I?"

Fergus suddenly realized just how much Alistair loved his sister.

"Why wouldn't you indeed," he agreed softly with a smile.

The docks came into view and Alistair gave a shout. The rest rushed towards the railing where they stood and Alistair laughed out loud at the sight of the docks in the distance.

He looked younger at that moment and his eyes sparkled with hope. The rest soon were feeling pretty much the same way he was and went down to the cabins below to gather their things.

Only Alistair remained on deck, still looking at the approaching docks.

"Soon, my love," he whispered.

...

As it turned out, Azure and her captors were still on the ship, in spite of having docked earlier that morning. She knew that they had docked and had overheard where. She thought that they were probably waiting to successfully take her away under the cover of night so as not to raise any suspicions against them.

"Fools," she said under her breath. They obviously did not know that the city came alive at night, and the nobles and people enjoyed parties and drinking.

Fortunately for her, they hadn't tied her wrists and feet and she knew that she could pick that lock. She listened for any sounds, but the only sounds that could be heard were the water gently rocking the ship and the people on deck working to disembark crates. She wondered what they were bringing into Val Royeaux but then gave herself a mental shake and started working on the lock.

She heard footsteps approaching the door and ran to her corner. Sitting down, she quickly set her face into an inscrutable mask.

"Ah, are you bored, my pet?" This person had not come in before and she regarded him curiously for a moment.

"I am the one in charge of this mission. You must accept my apology. We cannot take you where we are supposed to until it is dark. But of course, I would think you would have guessed this by now," he sneered.

She still said nothing, and the door opened behind him. The man who always brought her food and drink appeared, carrying a tray of food and a pitcher of water.

"You must eat and rest while you can," the leader said and waited for the man to leave. He then turned to leave, but Azure's voice stopped him.

"How much were you paid to do this?"

He turned to face her, his head tilted to one side while he regarded her with an amused expression.

"I was promised a great deal of sovereigns," he said after a while.

"Well, however much you were promised, I can assure you that it could be doubled, if you let me go," Azure said quietly.

He burst out laughing. "Are you trying to make a deal with me, my pet?" His voice shook with amusement.

"I am. As you know, my betrothed is the King of Ferelden."

"Ah! I see you do not know about the recent turn of events," he chuckled. "Most unfortunate..." he added feigning sadness.

"Turn of events?" She repeated her throat suddenly very dry.

"Yes, we do have a couple of contacts in Val Royeaux. They have just informed us of something that has happened in Denerim, not two days ago. Your 'king' is no longer the ruling monarch. Queen Anora has taken the throne."

Azure's eyes widened at this as she stared up at the man. She did not speak, speech was beyond her at this moment. There would never be words to describe what his information had done to her.

However, he saw it in her eyes. He saw the hope extinguished and saw her face fall. He saw the despair now filling her eyes.

"I am not such a bad man," he laughed softy, "and will leave you alone with your thoughts now." He left the room, still laughing, locking the door behind him.

...

Zevran sneaked into the queen's chambers, his shadows blending perfectly with the shadows of the room, his feet making no noise whatsoever on the carpeted floor.

He had very little time, because the queen was now meeting with some of the nobles. From there he knew that they would go to dinner.

He started his search, knowing well enough that the desks all nobles used often had hidden drawers. He found one soon enough and started to look through the papers, his eyes quickly scanning them one by one. His thorough search revealed nothing.

He frowned and his eyes swept around the room, taking in every small detail he might have overlooked. Suddenly his sharp eyes caught something in the dim light of the room. There was a stone in the wall that looked slightly raised. He walked to it quickly and his slender fingers went over it. An audible click was heard and the stone moved forward slightly. He took it out gently.

There were several papers inside. Zevran wasted no time, and took them all. He then replaced the stone and hoisted himself out the window, disappearing into the night.

...

The group stood around the docks, their eyes on the ship that presumably held Azure captive. They were hidden behind some crates and Alistair tried for the fourth time to convince everyone to rush in and fight their way to release her. He was as successful as he had been the other times.

"We mustn't do rash things now, Alistair. You know this. This could be a part of their plans, they could be waiting for you to rush in to capture all of us," Aedan again warned him. "We should wait for Leliana to return with news. There is no other option!"

Alistair shut his mouth and looked miserable. His heart longed for her desperately. He needed to hold her in his arms. It pained him that she was so near yet still so far away.

The group huddled there for what seemed like an eternity to them, until they could make out Leliana's form beckoning at them from another area that was farther away from the docks. They quickly ran to where she was, and hid behind a wall.

"I have a lot to say," she whispered. "We cannot do much here. There is an inn not far from here, let us be off and see what steps we can take to remedy this situation."

They followed her and Alistair's heart sank further with each step they took. The rest were silent as well. Soon they found themselves inside the inn and ordered food and drink.

"They are expecting us. And they have plans to capture you, Alistair. Denerim is a mess. Anora has taken the throne," she said still whispering.

"We knew that would happen," Alistair said. "And the possibility of them deciding to capture me was always there. I'm the one they want, which is why they are using her as bait."

"Yes, but there is also the fact that they don't know who they captured," Aedan said smiling. "She is a force to be reckoned with."

"I truly hope she doesn't do anything reckless that would put her life in danger," Alistair fretted, fidgeting in his seat. "Our child's life is also at stake. Andraste's flaming sword! I'm going to _kill _Anora after this!" He said angrily, pounding his fist on the table.

"We have to keep watch on the docks. They are planning to take her away somewhere tonight. I'm going to continue to listen in to people's conversations and see what I can find out about Denerim."

"Zevran has probably already secured the evidence he needs," Aedan said quietly.

"I hope so, my brother. A civil war so soon after the Blight is the last thing Ferelden needs," Alistair retorted quickly.

"We will wait to see what you can find out, Leliana," Wynne said. "Is that the plan?"

"I do have another plan," Leliana announced as she smiled back at the mage. "I can try it out later this afternoon. It may be the only way to see if Azure is unharmed. If I use my charms, I can probably get closer to where they are keeping her prisoner."

"Your charms?" Aedan asked interestedly. Then he realized what she was saying. "I'm not going to like it, am I?" He frowned.

"My love, do not worry. I will not be unfaithful to you, I promise," she smiled at him taking his face in her hands and kissing him.

The rest looked away discreetly and it was Alistair who finally interrupted.

"All right, all right. There will be time for that later, I'm sure! Let's get to business."

"Spoilsport." Aedan sighed.

...

Denerim was in chaos. Fighting had broken out all over the city. While there was not a civil war going on yet, it certainly looked like it would break out soon.

Anora was at her wits' end. She quickly went towards her chambers, and locked the door once she was inside. She wanted to check the papers she had and take out one parchment to send to another noble who was not currently supporting her. Her offer to him was explained on the parchment and she didn't doubt that he could be persuaded to support her. If she was to successfully remain on the throne, she needed to sway all the nobles in her favor and soon.

She hurriedly pulled the stone out and gasped.

All her papers were gone.

...

Zevran stood in the shadows. This time he was following Barlein. And this time, it was not information he was after.

It was now time to start the second part of his plan. It was time for him to do what he was used to doing. What he had failed to do only once in his life.

He waited for Barlein to take another swig of ale from his leather pouch. Then, silently, he stepped behind him and sank his dagger into his back, his other dagger coming from behind, slicing the man's throat.

Barlein slumped to the ground dead and Zevran jumped silently back into the shadows.

"One down, two to go," he whispered into the night air.


	30. Leliana's Plan

**My thanks to Harmakhis and Jinx1983 for their reviews and to all those who favored this story! You all rock! :D **

**Smuttiness ahead. You have been warned! LOL **

**Bioware still owns. ;) **

Chapter 30 - Leliana's Plan

Zevran walked quietly around the city, his eyes taking in several fights and outbursts along the way. He made his way to the docks, where people were scrambling to get a place on ships leaving for Orlais and the Free Marshes, anticipating a Civil War.

He frowned slightly at the pandemonium. He hoped that Alistair and his group had already found Azure and were heading back, the present situation was looking very grim indeed.

His eyes spotted the man he was looking for. The man seemed to be looking for something. Zevran guessed it was probably his contact that would take news back to Orlais.

He smiled, his eyes narrowing as he crept up towards the man still keeping a reasonable distance from him. He was not going to be anywhere near him when he struck this time.

Fighting broke out on the docks and the crowds there were struggling to get away suddenly. The absence of royal guards made it easy for people to whip out their swords and start stabbing and hacking. Zevran took advantage of this. He pulled out one of his smaller daggers from one of his boots and threw it directly at the man's heart.

His aim was true, and the man slumped to the ground, the people around him still fighting. Nobody registered his death, and Zev pulled his cloak around him and his hood on his head, and silently walked away, his eyes darting around warily all the same.

He was well out of the area and smiled at his victory. He only had one person to take care of, and that one needed to be dealt with very carefully.

The man he had just killed was the only way that the people in Orlais had a way of knowing what was going on in Denerim. It was the only link they had to Anora and any orders from her. The fact that he was dead, and was unlikely to be discovered for a time, worked very well in his favor and put them in a direct advantage over their enemies.

Zevran now turned his attention to the palace. He would need to get inside again to deal with the third person on his list.

...

They huddled behind some crates, watching as Leliana, who was now dressed in a lovely low-cut dress, made her way to the ship. She was humming and had a basket of food with her. Street vendors were not at all unusual here, there were several that were walking up and down the docks.

She looked at the man that was guarding the ship where Azure was, and caught his eyes, smiling at him and lowering her eyelashes. She managed a blush and faltered in her steps, stopping only a short distance from where the man was, who was now eying her with something that looked like lust.

Aedan swore under his breath. Alistair turned to him and his hand shot out and held his shoulder.

He didn't speak, but Aedan understood and just stopped looking, forcing the anger he felt out of his system for a while.

Leliana continued to throw glances at the man, and she inched forward. The man wet his lips as he gazed at her bodice, and he smiled.

She took this as a hint to walk up to him.

"Good afternoon, kind ser. Would you like to buy some _food_ to eat? You must be hungry, standing out here for such a _looong _time, no?" She stressed and rolled out the 'o' in 'long' and smiled prettily at him, her eyelashes batting slightly.

"Uh, well, I-" the man answered, looking back at the ship, which was silent and looked deserted. He turned back to her, and then made a decision. "I- well, yes. I suppose...why don't you come aboard? There is a place that is secluded below deck, and, well, we can...er...could get to know each other better, if that is what you really want?" He hesitated for a moment as he looked into her eyes.

"Why that would be lovely, kind ser," she replied blushing slightly and lowering her eyelashes for a moment, only to lift her eyes up to him again.

Aedan and Alistair watched as she followed the man on board. They waited for a while. As soon as she did what she planned to do, she would come back out and go back to where they were hiding.

After a while, Leliana reappeared. She had a satisfied look on her face.

"Well?" They asked her on baited breath.

"It's done. The sleeping draught powder has been added to their water supply and ale barrels and into the pot where they were cooking some stew. Now all we have to do is wait, so I suggest we get back to the inn. They won't be going anywhere tonight!" She smiled at them and they grinned back at her. The look on Alistair's face was all she needed to see. His eyes shone like stars and his whole face was lit up.

"And when we get back, you and I have some talking to do," Aedan grumbled.

"Oh, Aedan, even before he kissed me, I had already stunned him and hit him over the head, knocking him unconscious! He was very easy to overpower. There is nothing for you to fret about, my love," she cooed at him.

They all went back to the inn in a very good mood and joked along the way.

It looked like it was going to be a wonderful night for them indeed.

...

The Captain of the Guard was not the Captain of the Guard who had been hired by Teagan. As a matter of fact, the Captain of the Guard had not even met Alistair and did not even know what he looked like. He didn't really care. The only thing he cared about was getting paid.

The guards who had replaced the former guards were few, but they were the ones close to the queen at the moment and the ones who were paid for keeping the others away or from asking too many questions. They followed the Captain of the Guard's orders explicitly and did not do anything unless they were told what to do.

The Captain of the Guard, therefore, was a man who had been hired to do Anora's bidding, but he was not a warrior nor had he trained to become a guard. He was clueless and had no fighting experience whatsoever. He relied on the rest of his men for that.

Right now he was fretting. It was dinner time, and he had to stand there and guard Anora as she had dinner at the long table, all by herself. She was taking her time, hardly eating, just barely picking at her food and had a very worried expression on her face. Truthfully, he felt a little sorry for her.

He sighed audibly with relief when she stood up, and glanced in his direction.

"I do not need for you to accompany me, Gorlin. I can find my way to my chambers."

"Certainly, Your Highness," he replied automatically, falling into an attentive pose as she walked away.

Once she was gone, he relaxed, and made his way across the empty courtyard, to the barracks ahead.

The Captain of the Guard, Gorlin, only had 3 minutes left to live.

He stopped for a few minutes, breathing in the night air, and looked up at the moonlight that was bathing everything around him in a soft glow and smiled. He loved nights like this.

Reaching the door at the far end of the courtyard, he stopped. He had heard something that was totally new to him. The sound of something whooshing-

He felt the blade entering his neck and clutched at it, a strangled cry escaping his lips as he went down.

...

"Did you see her at all?" Alistair asked Leliana again.

"No Alistair, I barely had time to get the sleeping draught into the water, ale and pot before I left. I'm sorry, but I couldn't risk being discovered, you know that!"

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry," Alistair said quietly and bowed his head.

"It's all right, Alistair, I understand. We have a few hours before it gets dark. Why don't we just relax before then?"

Aedan smiled at Leliana suggestively raising one of his eyebrows at her, and she took the hint. They excused themselves from the table and went up to their room.

Fergus arrived just then and sat on one of the empty chairs.

"I've just finished talking to the men on board the Royal ship, Alistair. They are getting ready to leave tonight, on your orders. I made sure that they had enough supplies."

"Thanks, Fergus." Alistair grinned at his soon to be brother-in-law. "Now all we have to do is wait."

After a while, Alistair sighed.

"Have I ever mentioned just how much I hate waiting?" He asked and everyone there turned to look at him.

"Yes, Alistair," Wynne replied. "You've said this twice already."

"Oh."

...

Azure was becoming impatient. No one had come to check in on her for a while now. She glanced down at her untouched food and pitcher of water. She might as well eat and drink.

She sighed and picked at her food. The silence aboard the ship was making her nervous, and she wondered if that meant that they were already in the city and would come back to take her where they were planning to take her.

She looked down at her torn nightgown and thought that they should at least have given her a dress to wear. If they didn't want to raise suspicions they shouldn't take her in her present state of dress or undress.

She smiled at the thought of them leading her around the city in her nightgown and drank the water and picked up her spoon to eat the rest of her food.

Alistair's face was on her mind right now, and she sighed, the longing and yearning for him were unbearable to her. She hoped that he hadn't been killed when Anora had taken the throne. If he was in a cell somewhere, then that was fine. Anything that didn't involve him being dead was fine.

She was starting to get drowsy and dropped her spoon. She tried to stand, but her legs weren't obeying and she just sat there as the whole room started spinning out of control

The last thing she remembered was hearing voices coming from the deck above her. One of the voices sounded suspiciously like her brother Aedan and...

Darkness descended around her, and she heard no more.

...

"Alistair! Over here!" Aedan called out impatiently as he bent down over Azure's sleeping form.

"Oh, thank the Maker! Azure! My love!" She did not respond, of course, and Alistair forgot why and panicked briefly.

"Relax, Alistair," Leliana soothed. "See? She was eating and had some water. The sleeping draught has worked on her also. She'll come to in a few hours."

He picked her up in his arms and for a moment jus t stood there, watching her beautiful face as she slept, a lump in his throat.

"Right. We'd best get her on board the Royal ship and get out of here quickly," he said gruffly.

The rest nodded and followed him off the ship.

Once they were safely on board the Royal ship, they set out for Denerim.

Now that he had her safe, Alistair did not leave her side at all. He thanked everyone and continued to gaze upon her, holding one of her hands in his.

They all left to their cabins for the night and wished him a good night.

"Oh, he'll be getting it," was Aedan's comment, which sent the rest into fits of giggles and coughing.

Once he was left alone, Alistair turned back to her sleeping form and gave a sigh of relief again. He stood up after a while and stretched deciding to wash up and change into something more comfortable, and set his sword and shield on the floor next to the bed. Once he was done washing up and changing he returned to her side.

She did not stir for what seemed to be a long time for him, yet he did not mind watching over her. In truth, she was like a balm that soothed his spirit and calmed his anxiety.

"I love you so much," he murmured and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Her eyelids moved then, and ever so slowly she opened her eyes and blinked up at him.

"Am I dreaming?" She croaked, her voice dry.

He laughed and held her closely, then went over to the table where he got some water for her.

"No, my love. I'm really here. Drink this, my sweet." He helped her drink the water, and she leaned back into the pillows when she was done still surprised that he was there before her.

"How? What happened? I thought you were in prison! The leader of the thugs who kidnapped me said that Anora had taken the throne! Oh, my love! I'm so happy you aren't hurt! OH!" She held him even tighter at this, and he laughed again, feeling her warmth, silently thanking the Maker and Andraste for her.

He pressed his lips on her and they kissed each other. Her lips were sweet and inviting, his tongue sought hers out immediately and hers met his. His hands now roamed restlessly over her body, worshipping fingertips at her breasts, her waist and hips. They flew back to her collarbone and tugged at the material she was wearing, pulling.

She smiled into his mouth and helped him ease off her night clothes, and broke the kiss to fling it over her head, lying back down on the bed, staring at him with half-closed eyes full of passion.

He gazed upon her body, his breath shallow and quick. He drank in her breasts, full and moving in rhythm with her heavy breathing. His head bent down and he kissed her again, breaking the kiss, placing kisses down her neck and to her breasts. He flicked his tongue over her nipple and sucked at it hard. She bucked up at him and he groaned, breathing heavily.

"My love, I have longed so much for this moment," he murmured, one of his hands caressing her and travelling to the dark curls below her navel.

She gasped when his hand reached her core, his fingers touching her nub lightly, and moving along her slit, inching towards her entrance. She was already wet and ready, but he lingered on the moment, and focused on giving her as much pleasure as he could.

He slipped a finger in her, while his thumb continued to stroke her, driving her into a frenzy, her moans spurred him on, and his other hand reached out and touched her breast, pinching her nipple gently. His movements continued, he slipped two fingers in easily and she bucked against his hand. He felt her release immediately afterwards, and he took his fingers out and sucked them, licking off her essence as his eyes gazed into hers, dark and smoldering with desire.

He crushed his lips upon her, and her hands tugged impatiently at his shirt, he tore away, only long enough to fling off his shirt and loose trousers, then lay beside her, his arousal pressed into her side, and she turned her body slightly.

He positioned himself at her entrance and pushed in her gently, and stopped for a moment. She begged him to continue and he smiled softly and obliged, burying himself to the hilt in one thrust, and she moaned, his name on her lips. He took one of her legs and caressed it while putting it on his shoulder and began to thrust in and out, his whole body worshiping hers, his hands restlessly roaming over hers.

She bucked her hips at him, slowly matching his movements, till they rocked in unison, their bodies sweating, their eyes on each other. He could feel his release coming and he took her leg and place it around his waist instead, bending down to kiss her deeply.

When they came, they did so together. Alistair grasped on to her, as he gave the final thrust, his forehead on her neck as he whispered her name, his voice gruff with emotion and passion.

They lay together, not moving, catching their breaths, their hearts slowing down.

"I love you so much," he said. He pulled out, and arranged her so that she had her back to him, and he spooned her, his arms around her, his lips kissing the nape of her neck tenderly.

Sleep came upon them and they finally rested in each other's arms, soft smiles playing on the corners of their lips as they slipped into the Fade.


	31. The Return of The King

**Thanks to my faithful reviewers, Jinx1983 and Harmakhis! You both rock! I also want to thank all of you who are reading and following this fic closely. Please don't be shy and hit the review box at the bottom, you have no idea what a few words mean to me! :) **

**Sorry the title sounds so 'Lord of the Rings' but it fits what happens in this chapter, lol**

**Bioware owns everything! I swear! :D **

Chapter 31 - The Return of The King

The trip back was uneventful, and a happy one. Though they knew that what was waiting for them once they reached their final destination was not good, they took some solace in the fact that Zevran had probably done his job well, and had made things easier for them.

"I'm so glad we took care of Anora's ruffians back on the ship," Aedan mused. "Even though it would take them some time to make it back, the fact that there are now less people who can follow her orders makes me sleep better at night."

"She will probably have some guards waiting for us at the docks," Alistair replied, his arm around Azure protectively. She was now dressed in some leathers and looked a bit uncomfortable in them. Her waist had filled out a bit since she last wore them and they felt too tight. She squirmed a little, and his gaze automatically went to her small form beside him. "Everything all right, love?" He whispered softly.

"It's fine, ugh! I'm just getting fat, I guess," she replied, squirming again.

He laughed softly then, but quickly set his face to a blank, innocent expression when she glared at him.

"Well," Leliana interrupted, "maybe Zevran has dealt with that problem and we will not be getting the welcoming committee we anticipate, no?"

"Even so, it is better to be on our guard," Wynne remarked, her lips in a straight line.

The Denerim docks came into view, and from the distance, they seemed to be winking at them in the darkness. It was not yet fully light, and they could make out some fires burning in the distance.

Slowly the ship approached the dock, and then they were finally able to get a better view of everything. People were fighting and not a guard was to be seen.

"Maker's breath!" Alistair swore.

"Looks like there is mayhem at the docks," Fergus said, his hand absent-mindedly stroking his chin. "We'd best be ready to join the fray."

...

The people nearest the dock where the Royal ship stopped saw a group of people start to disembark and stopped fighting. As soon as they recognized the young king, the shouting started.

"The King! It's the King!"

"Long live the King!"

Soon they were cheering and most of them just huddled around the group, smiling.

"What's happening here, my good man?" Alistair asked the nearest.

"There are revolts all over, Your Highness! Ever since Anora has taken the throne. But the people of Denerim are ready to stand by its rightful king! We will support you to our dying breath!"

Alistair smiled, touched by the man's words.

"Who gave you the weapons to fight?" Aedan asked quickly.

"The nobles who do not support the usurper, my Lord," another man's voice was heard.

"How long has this been going on?" Alistair then asked.

"Seven days and nights, Majesty, but we are not afraid. The usurper does not have many guards who will take the streets to fight us! The fighting here is between people who wish to get away, because they fear a Civil War and they are attacking each other to secure places on ships. We are trying to make them stop and join our cause. But we cannot get inside the palace, it is barred to us."

He nodded and began to walk through the crowd, pausing here and there to shake the people's outstretched hands, as they struggled to touch and get a glimpse of their king.

Azure smiled beside him, touched by the people's support and cheering. She was sure this was the direct product of Alistair helping them during the time they had rebuilt the city.

A voice suddenly sounded very close to where they were.

"Ah, the absent king finally returns. You could not stay away from the fun, no?" They stopped and stared at a man whose hood kept his face in shadows, but knew that voice.

"Hardly enough fun," Alistair grinned back. "I was hoping for a Civil War."

Zevran chuckled as his hands flew up to his hood, finally taking it off as he regarded them with a smirk.

"Ah, my dear friend, your arrival only needs trumpets and drums. Come, let us be off, we have work to do."

...

Zevran led them away, to the Pearl, handing out the hooded cloak to Alistair on the way. He told him to keep his hood up to conceal his face. He briefly explained that even though they probably could fight their way into the palace, the best course of action now was being discreet and he had a plan to make matters easier for them.

"All I want to do is kill Anora with my bare hands," Alistair said through clenched teeth.

"You will get your wish, but it is better to do things carefully, yes? I want to tell you what has happened and what I have managed to do to make it better," Zev said, as he pushed the door to his room open.

The hurried inside and he locked the door behind them.

The room was not small, and it was comfortable. He poured some ale for himself and offered some to the rest. Azure declined, but the rest took some and they passed the only other glass around taking turns to drink.

"Now then, let me fill you in on recent events," Zevran said. "The most important thing are all these papers on the table here." He scooped them up and handed them to Alistair who read them silently, Aedan doing the same over his shoulder.

"Zevran, you are a genius!" Aedan exclaimed while Alistair grinned and thumped the elf on the back affectionately.

"These papers will stop the self-made queen from ruling and will put her behind bars," Aedan went on.

"No, my brother. These papers will ensure that I kill her myself, and without a hearing this time." Alistair's voice held a finality in it, and anger flashed briefly in his eyes. "Zevran, what has happened to Teagan? Has he been taken prisoner?"

"Yes, Alistair. I'm sorry. I could not do anything to prevent it, it would have exposed me, and I needed to remain in the dark in order to carry out my plans."

"I understand," Alistair replied, looking a bit sad nevertheless.

"I have managed to make the Captain of the Guard, the man who was sending Anora's orders out to Orlais, and the leader of her operations here in Denerim...disappear," Zevran smiled slyly.

"Good work, Zev!" Leliana beamed.

"Anora finds herself in a difficult situation. By now she knows that all her papers are gone, and she is cornered, but she is astute and may be coming up with another plan. She has a partner, and it is someone you know," Zevran finished, looking directly into Alistair's eyes. "She has been supplying the entire operation economically. Without her coin, Anora would not have what little support she has today."

"Who is this person?" Alistair asked.

"You will know all in good time, my friend. Let me finish telling the tale to you first. We must plan everything else very carefully if we are to succeed. All the nobles do not support Anora. Truly, there is only one who supports her strongly. The other five merely joined because they were promised gold and more land. However, I got my hands on the papers before she could send out missives to the rest. The majority of the nobles do support you Alistair, but they have been working with the people, supplying them weapons, poultices and food to eat. They are working towards undermining Anora outside of the palace."

Alistair nodded. He felt he needed to know who they are, to thank them personally for a start.

"What do we do then? What is your plan?" He asked the elven assassin.

"We should go to the nobles immediately. They are at the Gnawed Noble Tavern. The owner of the Tavern remembers you both from before the Blight and is supporting you. Come, we leave immediately."

And with that, he unlocked the door and left the room, the rest following him closely behind.

...

Anora let out a shriek that reverberated against the walls of the room. Bann Cerolic frowned slightly obviously very nervous himself.

"Are you sure?" He asked the guard who looked to be out of breath from running.

"I am sure, my Lord. I saw them myself, because the Queen had sent me off to assess the situation around the city. I went to the docks and there he was."

"Thank you, please leave us!" Anora exclaimed. She put her hands to her temples, and rubbed them with her long, slender fingers.

"What are we to do now?" Cerolic asked, fretting.

"We must send the Captain of the Guard into the city, to arrest him. If he resists arrest, he should be killed," Anora snapped.

She turned to the now exiting guard and called him back.

"Please go get the Captain of the Guard immediately," Anora said.

He nodded and broke into a run.

Anora sat on the throne waiting for them to return. She was so angry, her cheeks were a deep red. She would show that stupid bastard that his return was for nothing! She still didn't understand why her men hadn't managed to capture him in Orlais. Why had her plans gone so terribly wrong?

The door opened and the guard she had sent off to get Gorlin came back and knelt beside her, his head bowed to the floor.

"Begging your pardon, Majesty, but I cannot find the Captain anywhere," he muttered.

"Well he can't have disappeared, now can he?" Anora snapped. "Search for him, and ask the other four guards who always patrol with him to help you. I need him here immediately and that's an order!"

The man scrambled to his feet and ran off.

She tapped her foot impatiently against the stone floor.

_Fools! Do I have to do everything myself? And this one, look at him fidget and cringe. Ugh! I am surrounded by incompetence!_

The guard returned an hour later, when Cerolic and herself were seated at a table at the far end of the room, drinking some wine.

"You still return alone? What is the meaning of this? The Captain of the Guard can't have disappeared into thin air now, can he?"She said angrily.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry. We found the decomposing body of the Captain in one of the courtyards."

The only sound heard then was the sound of Anora's glass shattering into little pieces on the floor.

...

The nobles gathered at the Tavern observed the elf suspiciously.

"Why are you suggesting we have anything to do with the mayhem out in the streets, ser?" Bann Sighard said.

The group that was with him all smiled at the same time, and he bristled. There was one that was behind them, who wore a cloak and a hood over his head, covering his features. That alone, made him even more suspicious.

"Oh, do not worry or fret, my Lord," Zevran said, grinning. "We are very much on your side. We wish to see Ferelden ruled by its rightful king once again."

"And why is it that we should believe you?" Bann Alfstanna demanded, taking a step forward menacingly.

"Because the king himself believes me," Zev answered, enjoying himself.

The nobles fidgeted, not really understanding how this was possible, but still doubting his words.

"Explain yourself, ser!" Bann Sighard commanded, now taking a step forward till he was inches away from Zevran's smirk which annoyed him greatly.

"Maybe I should do the explaining myself," a deep voice said, which belonged to the hooded stranger, who now stepped forward, pulling the hood off.

Everyone in the room gasped, and fell to their knees at once.

Standing before them, Alistair grinned and begged them to rise.

"We have work to do gentlemen, ladies. Let us talk to agree on what is to be done."

...

**A/N: This isn't over yet...but I just wanted to say I really loved writing this chapter! :D **


	32. Last Moments

**This is a short chapter, but necessary. **

**My thanks to Warrose, Virginia Gale, Harmakhis and Jinx1983 for their excellent reviews and to all those who favored this story and are following it. **

**Bioware owns everything and they are extremely lucky! LOL **

Chapter 32 - Last Moments

Anora broke into tears. Real tears. She had never before felt so afraid. Or miserable.

She had just discovered that her contact, who delivered information to the ship that travelled to Orlais, was dead. She did not know what had happened in Orlais, other than the fact that Alistair was here in Denerim, which probably meant he had Azure and had managed to elude capture.

She sent off a messenger to the woman who was helping her financially.

Alistair and the group were waiting outside the palace gates. They saw the lone figure leaving and Zevran intercepting him. The messenger cowered at something Zevran said, and handed him a parchment.

"We need to get inside the palace," Alistair told Zevran when he returned with the messenger, whose hands were now tied to his back. "I imagine Bann Alfstanna has finished contacting the rest of the nobles by now."

"We have to wait here until they arrive," Aedan said.

Zevran held out the parchment that he had intercepted. Alistair's eyes were wide with surprise when he finished reading it, while Aedan read over his shoulder.

"What? How can this be?" He muttered in utter disbelief.

"I knew I shouldn't have let her live!" Aedan said angrily. "That bitch!"

"It looks like we have a lot of killing to do, huh?" Azure chimed in grinning.

Alistair turned back to her and had to smile at her words and at her eager expression. Nobody like Azure to find killing attractive, especially if it was in retribution.

Bann Alfstanna arrived, out of breath.

"My king," she said and bowed. "The rest of the nobles have been called in for an emergency landsmeet just as you requested."

"Excellent, and thank you kindly Alfstanna," Alistair said. He then motioned at them all to the guards stationed at the sides of the gates. "Shall we?"

"Show time!" Aedan mumbled under his breath as they all approached the guards.

"State your business," the first guard said. There were four of them, two on the left side, and two on the right side.

Alistair removed his hood from his head.

"Do you want a job, or even a life when all this is done?" He growled.

The man recognized him immediately and went down on his knees. The other three stared and blinked.

"You fools!" The man whispered back at them. "It's the king!"

They drew their weapons, and Alistair let out his battle cry and charged.

...

A guard ran into the throne room, where Anora sat, Bann Cerolic at her side.

"My Queen!" The guard said as he knelt. "They have attacked the gates. I managed to escape and ran here immediately."

"What?" Anora cried, springing to her feet.

"They have fought their way inside, but-"

One of Leliana's arrows whistled by and embedded itself into the guards neck. He sputtered clutching wildly at his neck and slumped to the ground.

"Nice shot!" Aedan grinned beside her.

Alistair walked up to the dais, where Anora stood, her eyes wide with fear.

"Hello, Anora," he sneered. "Time to die."

"You can't kill me! The nobles would-"

"The nobles know what you have done," Alfstanna cried out. They are coming here for a Landsmeet and should be arriving as we speak."

The room began to fill in silently just as Alfstanna finished talking.

"Zevran, go and release Bann Teagan immediately," Alistair said quietly. His face had the angriest expression anyone had ever seen and at the moment he just stood in front of Anora, breathing heavily, his armor covered in blood splats and he looked quite formidable. Anora cowered and trembled slightly, her face had gone white.

Teagan looked thin and haggard, but immensely relieved to see him. Alistair turned to embrace the man briefly, then turned back to Anora.

"Anora Mac Tir, traitor to the crown! Be prepared to die! May the Maker have mercy on your soul," he thundered.

Then, taking his father sword firmly in his hand, he pivoted around and sliced her head off just as he had killed her father before ending the Blight.

...

Isolde Guerrin stood before Alistair and the nobles of the Landsmeet. Her hands tied behind her back.

She did not bat an eyelash and her face was held high.

"Isolde Guerrin. You have been found guilty of assisting and abetting a traitor to the crown. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I did everything because the Maker himself told me to! And I owed it all to my husband. He is dead because you let him fight on the roof of Fort Drakon!"

"You think we _let_ him die? Maker's breath, Isolde. Are you mad?" Alistair responded in shock.

"Blasphemy and shame on you Alistair! The Maker has spoken to me! He revealed himself to me, and told me you must die! He told me to help Anora! He told me Anora was his chosen!" Isolde screamed, her face red, her eyes wild.

There were murmurs amongst the crowd. Alistair looked down at Isolde with infinite sadness.

Azure cleared her throat, and the noise she made was enough. It centered him and he jerked his head up to look at all the nobles in the room.

"Lords and ladies of the Landsmeet," he began, his deep voice reaching the end of the room easily. "You are here to witness judgment on this woman. She has been the financial aid in the treason to the crown committed by Anora Mac Tir. I strongly suggest her execution."

"Lies! Blasphemy! Eamon spoke to me! The Maker spoke to me!" Isolde screamed at Alistair, her face red.

"We will vote on this immediately. All in favor of the execution raise your hand." Alistair went on, his voice drowning out Isolde's cries.

A sea of hands shot up into the air. Not one single noble was against the idea of having her executed.

"Very well," Alistair said. He looked down at Isolde again, his eyes dark. "Isolde Guerrin. From this day forth your lands and title are stripped from you. You are to be executed tomorrow at dusk. Guards, take her away."

"He will rescue me! The Maker knows! I am not afraid!" She screamed and laughed as she was taken away.

The silence in the room was overwhelming. Alistair stood there for some time, his head bowed. Bann Cerolic and the five nobles that had supported Anora were brought before him as well.

"You all have been brought here to face judgment for your crimes against the crown. What have you to say for yourselves?"

Nobody spoke, and some of them glanced at Cerolic, who stood there unflinching.

"Please, Your Highness, we were bought into this unfortunate position, we beg you to show mercy," one of the nobles said trembling.

Alistair turned to him, his face a mask of anger.

"Mercy? You wish me to show mercy? Which of you showed mercy to me while my betrothed was spirited away on a ship, gagged and bound like a criminal? Which of you showed mercy to me while I had to fight my way to get to her and risk capture and death? Where is the mercy you showed me when you sided with the woman that now lies dead before you?"

They all fidgeted nervously, uncomfortable with his words.

"Lords and ladies of the Landsmeet, what is your judgment? What should we do with these traitors to the crown?"

"They have committed treason. They should be executed," Bann Alfstanna shouted out angrily.

Alistair nodded. "Wisely spoken, my Lady. All here in favor of this motion, please raise your hands." All the nobles in the room raised their hands.

"Very well. The six of you will be executed tomorrow, following Isolde Guerrin's execution. May the Maker have mercy on your souls." They were taken away, and Alistair bowed his head, the strain he was under was beginning to show.

A voice was heard suddenly. It belonged to Bann Sighard.

"Long live King Alistair!"

"Long live the King!" They all replied in unison.

Cheers broke out in the room and Alistair, raised his hand, demanding silence, a smile on his lips, his eyes moist as he regarded them.

"Thank you all for supporting and believing in me. We still have other matters to tend to, however. And after all the unpleasant business is over with, I would like to reward those that have remained faithful to the crown."

The nobles murmured slightly at this and smiled.

"All of you who supported the people and helped will be receiving more land and a personal reward from the royal treasury. You have my sincerest thanks."

They all broke into an applause.

"Now if you all will excuse me, it has been a long day and I'm sure you all want to rest as well. The palace needs some cleaning, and I need to speak to the people outside to thank them as well."

...

As soon as Alistair stepped out on the balcony, the cheering was deafening.

"Long live King Alistair!"

The king raised his hand.

"You have no idea how grateful I am," Alistair said. "But I can begin to express my gratefulness the only way I know how to. Bags of silver will be handed out to each and every one of you at the gates starting tomorrow. It is not much, because I feel I will be forever in your debt. The support you have given me is truly invaluable. The city still needs much rebuilding and I will personally see to that as well. I will not abandon you and will work hard until everyone in the city lives comfortably. I will also be securing deals with other nations very soon that will increase trading in favor of Ferelden. For now, we need to start celebrating! I urge you all to dance and be merry! _You_ are Ferelden! May the Maker bless you all and may His blessings rain upon you forever!"

...

It was a tired Alistair that finally went to bed in the wee hours of the morning. He had been meeting with Teagan and other nobles he had chosen as advisors, and everything that had to be taken care of had been without preamble.

Azure had long gone to bed, and he took great care in not making a sound as he undressed and washed getting ready for bed. He put on a loose pair of trousers, and nothing else, slipping under the cool sheets beside her. He didn't want to disturb her.

As it turned out she was not asleep at all, and she nestled into his arms contentedly, a sigh escaping her lips.

"I love you, my king," she murmured into his chest and he smiled and held her closely, one of his hands absent-mindedly rubbing her back gently.

"The wedding is next week, my love. I thought you would want to know," he chuckled into her hair.

"Mmmm," she replied lazily, her eyes heavy as she felt herself falling asleep. The beating of his heart and his even breathing lulled her.

"I love you, my darling," he murmured sleepily and held her closely as exhaustion finally caught up to him, and he drifted off to sleep.

...

**A/N : No, this isn't over yet! There are still some things that need to be taken care of, as you will see in later chapters. Please read and review. As Jinx1983 pointed out so eloquently in her last review, I really do love reviews, just like Sten loves cookies and cake! LOL **


	33. I Pronounce You

**Thank you so much Warrose, Harmakhis and Jinx1983 for your fantastic reviews! You all rock! :D **

**This chapter is mostly a romantic tribute and filler of sorts to Alistair and Azure, but even though you may not think so, I do point out something that has to do with the overall plot. **

**Bioware...um...*looks around* OWNS! **

Chapter 33 - I Pronounce You

_You put the magic in me  
I feel the magic when we, do what we do  
My Kinda Lover - Billy Squier_

_._

_._

The people in Denerim were excited. There was a wedding taking place at the palace and the bells in the Chantry were ringing.

Back at the palace, Senior Grey Warden Pernin stood waiting in Alistair's study, his hands clasped behind him. Calaheb stood quietly behind him, taking care not to stand in his line of vision, as he could tell that Pernin was already annoyed because he had been told to wait.

Alistair and Aedan both entered the room. They were both dressed in shining armor, and Alistair had chosen to wear the armor King Bhelen had sent two days ago as a wedding gift, rumored to have been forged at Kal'Hirol by the Paragon Hirol himself. He looked truly magnificent in the golden and white steel armor.

Alistair was slightly annoyed himself as he glared at Pernin. The man had chosen this day, of all days to come to bother him and his soon to be brother-in-law.

"Ah, Warden Theirin, it was not necessary for you to be here. I only wished to speak to Warden Cousland," Pernin gave him a cold smile.

"I've just about had it with you. The reply from Weisshaupt has not yet arrived, yet you choose to come here and disrupt a wedding?" Alistair said through clenched teeth.

"I thought it should have arrived by now, but knowing how you are terribly busy at the moment, I-"

"It has not arrived yet. If you wish to stay, you are welcome to do so, but the wedding starts soon so you must forgive us for leaving so promptly. We need to leave at once." Alistair said, frowning.

An elven servant appeared at the door.

"Your Majesty, your correspondence," he said and bowed.

"Thank you so much, Mithrus," Alistair smiled. He glanced at the envelopes on the tray, and picked one out from the pile.

"Ah, gentlemen, it seems that you are in luck. There is an envelope here from the First Warden. I shall open it, and we will finally see the end to all this," he said as he took a letter opener from the top of his desk.

Aedan stood there quietly waiting as Alistair read the letter.

"Well, gentlemen, please greet the Warden Commander of Ferelden, Aedan Cousland," Alistair said with a smile on his face.

Aedan grinned at both men. Pernin simply stood there and blinked. "May I see that?" He asked Alistair.

Alistair handed him the missive, and crossed his arms as he leaned on the desk behind him.

Pernin finished reading and handed it back to Alistair with a sigh.

"I shall leave for Weisshaupt immediately and bother you no longer. Congratulations, Warden Commander. " Then turning to Alistair he bowed. "Your Majesty."

Both men left the room.

"Well, that felt really good!" Aedan grinned.

Alistair laughed. "You'll be going to Amaranthine afterwards. You have a long task ahead of you, brother."

"This isn't the time or place to discuss it. Azure must be ready. Come, my brother, we have a wedding to get you to!" Aedan said as they both exited the room.

...

To say that Azure was nervous was an understatement. Her stomach seemed to be full of butterflies that frolicked around endlessly and mercilessly. She was restless, and it didn't help that Leliana had sat her down to do her hair.

Her hair had grown considerably since Alistair had first laid his eyes on her, and now was well beneath shoulder length, thick and slightly curled. She fidgeted and gave impatient little screams when Leliana pulled at it.

"I'm terribly sorry Azure, but you aren't helping! Just be still, please!" Leliana cried out.

Azure complied for a full five minutes, her hands absent-mindedly plucking at the lace of her dress.

The dress itself was truly lovely, it was long and cream colored; both the hem and sleeves had golden threads interwoven in it. The organdy was laced intricately with soft patterns. The bodice was narrow and lifted her breasts. The dress was low-cut and revealed a bit, but was not indecent, the overall result being that it was both enticing and alluring. The dress itself did not cling to her body but sort of floated, giving her an ethereal appearance.

Leliana finally finished and only then was she allowed to look at herself in the full-length mirror in the middle of the room.

Her brilliant green eyes stared back at her, the freckles on her face showing shyly against her white skin.

"We'll have to put some make up on you. Why are you so white?" Leliana complained.

"No, no make-up at all," Wynne observed as she walked into the room, her eyes tender and full of admiration. "She will blush anyway and natural color is so much better than the fake rouge that is applied nowadays. You look lovely my dear," she added as she embraced Azure quickly.

She grinned up at Wynne and for a moment her cheeks colored slightly. Her hair had been pulled back and Leliana had managed to curl it artistically, so that the whole thing looked like a beautiful dark red waterfall cascading over the nape of her neck.

Fergus appeared at the door, his eyes widening when he saw her.

"Maker's breath! I hope Alistair doesn't go and faint when he sees you!" He exclaimed, taking her hands in his and giving her a peck on the cheek.

She giggled and kissed him back. "I hope not, dear brother. I'd hate for him to miss our wedding," she joked and he laughed back in reply.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded at him and took his proffered arm, falling into step beside him as they made their way to the throne room.

...

Alistair felt like he was drifting, and in his dream-like state, a vision of beauty was approaching him, smiling softly.

He did not register the fact that she was leaning on Fergus's arm, nor that she was blushing. The only thing he saw was her intoxicating beauty, as her lovely body set his heart and pulse racing. He suddenly realized that she would be his wife, and this caused him to tremble. He never thought he would feel this happy and complete.

The words the Grand Cleric said were barely heard above the beating of his heart. He was lost in her completely, his devotion and desire for her so strong, that he could barely breathe.

The silence was deafening. He slowly realized that the Grand Cleric had asked him something and he came back to the present with a start.

"What's that, Your Eminence?" He stammered out.

Azure grinned and the Grand Cleric smiled benignly at him as she patiently repeated her request. They were to say their vows. Alistair took the wedding ring for Azure and his vow to her spoke of his love for her and the happiness it brought him to love her in return. He slipped the ring on her finger and it was her turn to do the same. In hushed tones she told him of her love and how happy she was to have found him, slipping the ring on his finger.

Then it was over and Alistair was dipping his head down to kiss her, which he did very thoroughly and passionately, bringing cheers from the people who were gathered in the room.

...

They did spend some time dancing, eating and flirting with each other openly after the wedding and Azure's coronation as Queen. The nobles in the room were happy as well and danced along with the newlyweds, enjoying themselves.

Of the companions who had followed Aedan and Alistair, only four were present, the rest having gone on to other places. Morrigan, of course, had vanished long before any of the others and her whereabouts were a mystery to all. She had truly disappeared as she had promised, and nothing further was heard from her for the time being, which was a relief to Aedan who found himself deeply in love with a certain red-headed bard who smiled and only had eyes for him.

The celebration ended, and Alistair and Azure made their way to the Royal Quarters, giggling all the way, stopping here and there to share passionate kisses. The fact that some of the servants ran into them while they were kissing did not deter them nor interrupt them, so lost they were in their own world.

Soon they were inside Alistair's chambers, and they fell into each other's arms, their hands wrestling with the laces, buckles, straps, buttons and strings that held their clothes in place as they hurried to undress and dedicate what was left to the night to love making.

"My love, my wife, my Queen," Alistair murmured as he took her again and again that night, his passion and stamina barely diminishing, fueled by his love to her.

Somewhat exhausted, they lay tenderly side by side as they rested, one of his arms around her, playing with her hair, as his eyes looked into hers.

"Is this happily ever after for us?" She teased as her fingers traced circles on his chest.

"It's as close as it gets, my love," he answered, bending his head slightly to kiss her forehead.

They fell silent, and after a while she tensed, and Alistair immediately noticed this.

"What is it?" He asked, not bothering to keep the concern from his voice.

"I don't want you to leave," she said sadly, looking up at him.

His eyes widened. "Leave? Why would I be going anywhere, when this is the only place I would rather be?"

"You will be, twenty-nine years from now. Well, twenty-eight really," she replied sadly.

"Oh."

His grip on her tightened, and he sighed.

"Is there nothing that can be done, my love?"

"I don't think so," he murmured sadly in response.

They fell silent again, and this time they were both very aware of the dark thoughts on their minds. Dark thoughts of the Taint, which threatened to end their happiness. Alistair shook himself mentally and focused on her soft naked body instead, his hands roaming restlessly over her once again, his fingers eagerly travelling to her thighs and parting them gently. Her whimper excited him more than he thought possible and he gathered her into his arms, bringing her close so that she could lie on top of him.

She giggled when she felt his arousal. "So soon? My dear husband, you are truly insatiable!"

"Only because of you," he murmured as he kissed her.

"Is this the famous Grey Warden stamina Leliana was telling me about?" She teased playfully, her words coming out muffled against his mouth.

"Probably," he answered, moaning softly into her mouth as well.

His hands settled on her buttocks, caressing them gently.

She sat up, and straddled him, leaning over provocatively and he growled, sitting up to meet her, his hands touching her breasts as he kissed her, the fire of desire burning in them again.

They made love again slowly and took their time. When they came, they lay there bathed in sweat. Their unhappy thoughts had disappeared, and they were smiling once again.

For the moment at least, the Taint had slipped away from their minds.

For the moment.

**A/N: Next chapter up before Christmas, promise! :D **


	34. Life and Death

**Ah, cliffhangers! LOL **

**Thank you SO much Harmakhis (I posted this for you today, lol, cause the Grinch is out shopping :P), Warrose and my sista in arms Jinx1983 for your wonderful reviews! I hope the other people who read this fic also get a chance to drop a line, I would love to read what you all think! :D **

**BIOWARE OWNS! (in case nobody heard, I shouted this time, hehe)**

Chapter 34 - Life and Death

_By now you'd know that I'd come for you_

_No one but you, yes I'd come for you_

_But only if you told me to_

_And I'd fight for you_

_I'd lie, it's true_

_Give my life for you_

_You know I'd always come for you_

_I'd come for you - Nickelback_

_._

_._

Azure had a lot of difficulty getting out of bed that morning. Her husband was gone, an early riser, to attend to matters of governance with Teagan and she was alone. Her huge belly threatened to win the battle she was fighting in order to sit up and get out of bed, and she felt angry at Alistair at the moment.

_How dare he leave without waking her? Didn't he know that she needed his help?_ She lay there huffing and panting for a moment, gathering her strength, when a knock on the door interrupted her futile attempts.

_Thank the Maker! _

"Yes? Enter!" She called out, her voice coming out strangled and high-pitched.

Her personal maid walked into the room, only stopping for a moment to curtsey slightly as she advanced directly to her bed. She held out her hands and helped her up.

"Oh, thank the Maker for you, Gretchen," she sighed as she finally stood, her hands still clutching hers, groaning slightly. Her back was killing her.

It was summertime, and the heat was unbearable in Denerim. She thought about the day before her and her lips pressed into a thin line. Dinner at the Arl of Denerim's estate held no appeal to her whatsoever.

"My lady, I will bring up some hot water for you to bathe," Gretchen said, and she winced at her words.

"Hot? Maker's blood! Are you trying to kill me?"

"It is better for your back, my Queen. You must trust me," Gretchen insisted, and she felt herself give in to her suggestion which annoyed her slightly nevertheless.

"Fine, fine!" She said as she sat on the cushioned chair in front of a table in one of the corners of the room. "Get on with it, then."

She served herself a cup of tea before Gretchen could do it for her, and glared at her impatiently.

Gretchen curtseyed and left the room hurriedly. Her Queen was getting more impatient each day and she did not blame her. By all accounts, she should have already born the child she carried and even the midwife now slept a few doors down, patiently waiting for the time to help bring the new prince or princess into the world.

Back in the room, Azure felt her baby kick at her and smiled as her hands caressed her bulging stomach tenderly. She sipped at her tea, and felt better already.

"You're taking your time to come into the world, little one," she said softly.

...

The dinner at Arl Bertrand's was a terribly boring affair. She found herself fidgeting on her chair, mindful of Alistair's worried glances every time she moved and slightly annoyed that he was so concerned. She felt guilty about being annoyed, he was so eager to help, so eager to please and so sweet to her. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

"Are you all right, Your Highness?" The Arl's wife asked, and Azure found herself blushing at all the attention.

"I'm fine. It's nothing. I think the weather is driving me insane sometimes." She smiled and felt Alistair's intense gaze upon her.

"Yes, I find the heat one of the worst in a long time," the Arlessa agreed with her, smiling graciously.

"I don't mind the heat, in the right places, that is," she said without thinking and a laugh escaped Alistair's lips, which he turned into a cough. The Arl and Arlessa blushed at her innuendo then chuckled.

"We really must be going," Alistair said. "Thank you for a lovely dinner, and we'll see you at the palace soon," he said smiling at them both.

"You grace our house with your presence, Your Highnesses," they both said, and bowed as Alistair and Azure left the estate.

There was a horse and carriage waiting for them outside.

"I wish to walk, Alistair, if it's all right with you," she said, smiling up at him.

His heart skipped a beat as he looked down into her eyes.

_By the Maker, this woman had such a hold over him! _

"Of course, my dear." He held out his hand, and she took it, their fingers entwining as he spoke to the driver. A guard saluted and followed them as they started walking.

A figure detached itself from the shadows and followed a distance away, stealthily. It made no sound and kept to the shadows as they walked, completely unaware of the danger that they were in.

...

Back at the palace, Zevran surveyed the security around the walls, his eyes narrowing as they covered every inch.

He had been hired by Alistair as his personal Security Guard, and even though he had insisted on accompanying them to the dinner invitation they had, Alistair had brushed him away, scoffing at his request.

"Really Zevran! It's been nine months since the whole Anora situation! Do you really think that the families of the nobles that were executed would dare to come back just to have us assassinated? They have been exiled, and are nowhere in Denerim or Ferelden for that matter. I know you mean well, but this has become an obsession to you."

Zevran remembered Alistair's words very well, for at that moment, he saw a breach in his security system. Several of the traps he had laid out had been disarmed. This sent off alarm bells in his head. The traps had been crafted by him, and he alone could disarm them. Unless...

He suddenly realized that if there was any other person who could disarm the traps, it would have to be a Crow. And a Crow around here could only mean one thing.

He walked briskly towards the Palace Gates. Once outside he broke into a run towards the Arl of Denerim's estate.

He hoped he would not arrive too late.

...

Zevran soon saw them, running wildly and shouting out. They stopped and stared at him. Azure thought for a few seconds that he had lost his mind. It was very un-Zevran-like of him to behave the way he was.

Alistair, this time was not the slower of the two. He pulled Azure, and turned back, in time to see a figure step lightly behind them, right in front of Azure, who had her back to him.

"The Crows send their regards, and Bann Loren's wife expresses her congratulations," he motioned towards her, and as Azure turned slowly to regard the person who was talking, the Crow stepped forward and flashed his dagger, meaning to plunge it into her heart.

But Alistair was there first, and he reacted very quickly so in a matter of seconds he stood before his wife, shielding her from the blow, which Azure thought was very stupid of him, seeing that he wasn't wearing armor at the time.

The dagger entered Alistair right above his stomach and his gaze widened as he slumped to the ground, clutching at the dagger which was firmly embedded in him.

Zev heard Azure's cry as he reached them, his dagger sank into the Crow's neck, killing him on the spot.

"Oh! Oh, no, no, no, no!" she cried out in grief, fear clutching at her heart.

Alistair looked up at her, his lips turning blue, his gaze so painfully tender, it brought tears to her eyes.

"The dagger was poisoned! We must get him to the palace quickly," Zevran shouted at the guard, who was staring dumbly at the whole scene.

"I love you," Alistair murmured up to Azure, and his fingers reached out to touch her face, while she sobbed over him.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare leave me!" She sobbed, while his fingers inched slowly to her face, his lips moving and nothing but silence coming out. "Alistair!" She screamed.

But before his fingers could reach their destination, his arm fell heavily and darkness descended on him.

...

And just as the whole palace was running around to save their king, Azure went into labor.

She cursed that it should happen now, when Alistair was between life and death, and she sobbed and screamed and shouted, but there was nothing to do about it. The baby wanted out, and it wanted out now.

The palace was now divided. Wynne had to run from Alistair's room to Azure's as she had been placed in her own chambers for the birthing process, but her screams could be heard clearly in the next room where Alistair lay fighting for his life.

Not that Alistair could hear them. He was still unconscious and in the Fade.

Alistair, King of Ferelden, Grey Warden, last living son of Maric, was dying.

Azure gritted her teeth as the contractions increased. Suddenly the midwife told her to push, and she pushed, yelling and screaming and cussing at her and Wynne, whenever the latter happened to be in the room.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity to her, a wail was heard, and the midwife smiled triumphantly.

"Congratulations, Your Highness. It's a boy," she said.

Azure burst into tears.

**A/N: Wait...what? Alistair was dying? Did I even write that? *giggles* **


	35. A Life Not Worth Living

**YAY! I loved your reviews! Thank you SO much Virginia Gale, Warrose, Harmakhis and Jinx1983! You all inspire me to continue writing! And your sense of humor lifts me to heights I never knew existed! THANKS SO MUCH! **

**Anyway, here is the next chapter. It may bring some tears to your eyes, so fair warning! LOL **

**Bioware owns everything, I merely fool around with everything they own, haha! **

Chapter 35 - A Life Not Worth Living

_Wake me up inside  
call my name and save me from the dark  
bid my blood to run  
before I come undone  
save me from the nothing I've become_

_Bring me to life - Evanescence_

_._

_._

It was beautiful in the Fade. The sun was shining, the sky was a deep periwinkle blue and there was not a cloud to be seen. She stood in a meadow full of red rose bushes, and she laughed feeling truly happy.

She saw him in the distance, a regal figure walking towards her. When he got closer, she saw his beautiful amber eyes looking at her lovingly. He was dressed in a simple white tunic, which made his tan stand out golden in the sun. The sun highlighted his light brown hair turning it to gold.

The Golden King.

_Her_ Golden King.

She sobbed and flung herself into his waiting arms.

"My love, I miss you so much," she murmured against his lips, which tasted like cheese and peppermint and he smiled into her mouth as she captured his chuckle and made it her own.

He broke the kiss gently, his eyes dark with desire.

"I miss you too, my Love," and his lips descended on her once again.

Their kissed grew more passionate, and they lay on the sweet grass. Their clothes were gone, and he was making love to her, slowly, and lovingly, whispering that he loved her. Their bodies melded together as one, the heat between them made their hearts soar.

When they climaxed, they remained joined, and as she stared up into his beautiful amber eyes she felt the tears come.

"Why did you put yourself in such danger? Why did you leave me?" She sobbed.

"I would die to protect you and our son, my Love, you know this." He replied stroking her hair lovingly.

"But I am so alone now, you aren't here!" She sobbed, crying into his chest.

"I will always be with you, my Love. Always." He whispered, holding her close.

And then, he was gone.

Sounds pierced through her dream, like a pin bursting a bubble. The sound of a baby crying.

Her son.

She opened her eyes, and Wynne and the midwife stood there, looking down at her and smiling. The midwife handed him her son and she held him, and then was taught how to feed him. The baby suckled at her breast until he was satisfied. Then he opened his eyes to look at her.

And even though it was too soon to tell the exact color of his eyes, she saw Alistair's eyes looking back at her, Alistair's eyes light up at her, Alistair's eyes looking up at her curiously, memorizing her face all over again.

She let out a sob and held him closely.

Her son.

...

She went through the usual movements of her daily tasks with ease. They were a part of her now and she knew the routine by heart. So she continued meeting with the nobles, solving the people's problems, talking to Teagan in Alistair's study, where the portrait of Maric looked down upon her, smiling sarcastically, his eyebrow raised at everything she decided. Everything she said.

She sent for Zevran one day.

"Is there a way to contact the Crows, Zev?" She asked, her voice cold and distant, the look on her face blank and expressionless.

"I can attempt to find out. You know that I should not make myself known to them," he murmured.

"Then find somebody who can. I need to ask them to do something for me," her voice sounded harder and colder.

"I will see what I can do," he said, frowning.

"Thank you, Zevran." Her shoulders were straight, her eyes staring at nothing.

...

The man that stood before her knew Master Ignacio, whom Aedan had struck a deal with during the Blight.

He was perfect.

"I wish to hire you, as you may know by now."

"Yes, your Highness," the man bowed low.

She motioned at a guard and took a parchment from a tray he had in his hands.

"There is a list of names on this parchment. I wish the Crows to take care of these people discretely. I do not wish them to know who has sent them. I do not wish them to know they will die. I want the matter handled discreetly and very fast. I will give you half now, and the other half when you have finished. They are not in Ferelden, but some are in Orlais, others in Antiva. Their locations are on the parchment."

"Yes, Your Majesty. It will be done quickly and discretely as you ask."

"Excellent. Return when you are done." She nodded and he knelt once before her and was gone.

She turned to the throne, and sat, her eyes brimming with tears, but she held them back and controlled herself.

A servant walked into the room.

"It is time for the Prince to have his dinner, Your Highness," she curtseyed.

"Thank you, I will be there immediately."

And she knew then that even though this was not a life worth living, it was only because of her son that she carried on, who gave her hope and made her strong.

Her son, Prince Bryce Theirin.

...

_"Here, do you know what this is?" A rose in the palm of her hand. Alistair's nervousness which was so endearing to her. _

_"Is that a trick question?" The laughter and giggles that followed her playful response. _

_"How can something so beautiful exist in a place with so much despair and darkness."The look of love on his face when he said those words to her._

_"...what a rare and wonderful thing you are to find amidst all this darkness..."His lips getting closer to hers, so very slowly, his breath tickling her lips._

_Their first kiss..._

The memories would always be there, and she would always remember that rose, the rose that had become a symbol of their love.

The rose was now encased in a glass pendant, forever red, forever beautiful. She held on to the pendant, and put it around her neck, just like she did after she bathed every day.

Bryce woke up, and smiled at her. He looked so much like his father that her breath hitched.

"Hello my wonderful young man!" She cooed as she lifted him up in her arms and held him close.

He was a year old, and laughed at everything she said.

She was so happy when she heard him laughing that she forgot for a moment who she was, and where she was. She even forgot what had happened.

She smoothed his strawberry blond hair and he continued to laugh as she tickled him, kissing him on his small stomach, as he erupted into peals of laughter, placing him on the floor after a while. She sat on the cushioned chair next to him, while she readied herself for the day, combing her hair and going through everyday things to appear before court and meet with Teagan.

There was a knock on the door, just when she was done putting her hair up in a bun.

She opened the door and gave a gasp. Standing there before her was her brother Aedan, whom she had not seen for over a year and a half. She sobbed as she flung herself into his arms.

"Oh, Aedan! Aedan! I cannot believe you are here! Thank the Maker!"

A blond mage stood behind him, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Azure, this is Anders. He is also a Grey Warden, but an excellent mage," her brother smiled.

Anders gave a bow, and took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles.

She smiled at him for a moment, he seemed vaguely familiar, but could not seem to place him. At any rate, she could not be bothered about that now. Her brother was here and she would make the most of his visit.

"This is Bryce, Aedan!" She said happily, lifting the child into her arms.

"Ah, sister, he looks so much like Alistair!" Aedan said, chuckling softly as he took his nephew in his arms.

Gretchen appeared and took the child as they left the room, Aedan stepping alongside his sister, walking until they arrived at another door.

She took a deep breath and opened it. The three of them approached a huge bed.

Lying on the bed was Alistair, his breathing shallow and difficult. He had been in a coma-like state since the assassination attempt on her life a year ago.

Aedan looked down at him sadly. "Ah, brother. I'm so sorry to see you like this," he murmured. Then he turned to Anders, who nodded immediately and moved to stand next to the bed, putting his hands over Alistair.

A soft blue glow emanated from his hands and fingertips as he moved them over him. After some time he stopped and turned to them.

"His lung was punctured, wasn't it?" Anders managed to say, before Azure broke into tears, holding on to her brother for support. She could only nod in assent at Anders's question.

"Can he be cured?" Aedan asked his voice deep with emotion, his eyes suspiciously moist as he held his sister.

"Not by me, no. But there may be something that could cure him." Anders replied a thoughtful frown on his face.

Azure spoke, her voice broken.

"We have tried everything. He has these fits where he just coughs and coughs and wheezes. The mages here in the palace say that if these fits persist, he will die," she gave a tiny sob and pressed her lips together, looking down at her husband with despair.

"Yes, he may not survive for long," Anders said quietly.

"I sense a 'but' there, Anders," Aedan quizzed the mage.

"Well, you told me about something that you did during the Blight a while back. You said that the Arl of Redcliffe had also been in a coma, right? And the only cure for him had been a pinch of the Sacred Ashes of Andraste." Anders replied.

Azure jerked her head, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

"Oh!" was all she managed to say.

"It's worth trying. I'll contact Leli, she's the only one that knows for sure where the ashes are now. They disappeared from the Ruined Temple soon after our visit. But she's working with Brother Genitivi, here in Denerim. Once we get an exact location we can set off immediately."

"No! Wait! I've just remembered!" Azure exclaimed joyously, and ran out of the room, leaving both men in a state of confusion.

Wordlessly, they waited for her to return.

**A/N: Can anyone guess what it is that Azure remembered? hehehe :P **


	36. Love and Life

**My deepest thanks to Warrose (for letting me dream about the hot blonde pool boy), Jinx1983(for all her cookies, the ice cream factory and for believing in me) and Harmakhis (for her wise words and believing in Azure) for their reviews, which I look upon so fondly and wait for eagerly every time I post a new chapter! Thanks to all the rest of my reviewers, and to those who have this story on their favorites lists as well as in their alerts. You have ALL inspired me greatly along this story! All of you are wonderful! **

**Ok, this is _nearly_ over, sad to say, but it's true! *sobs quietly in the corner***

**Bioware still owns, unfortunately. How I wish I owned instead! LOL **

Chapter 36 - Love and Life

Azure hurriedly opened a cabinet in her chambers, which was at the far end of the room. She practically squeezed inside to get to the item she wanted to retrieve. Her hands threw away unwanted things that appeared before her; tunics, worn leather gloves and even a boot- _Maker's blood, what is a single boot doing here?_- were thrown to the floor hastily. Then she found it: Her backpack.

The backpack she had carried throughout the Blight, the very same one she had bought in Lothering, before she had met her brother and Alistair.

She took it her hands, which were shaking badly by now-so eager was she to find the object she needed-and emptied the contents onto the floor, which piled up before her.

Several things came to surface, as her hands moved around them, looking for the one thing she wanted which she knew she had. She impatiently pushed other items aside, like empty vials and dried up deathroots and elfroots, as well as dried up poultices.

Then she found it. A small and very fat leather pouch, closed tightly by leather strings. She snatched it up and ran back to Alistair's room, where her brother and the mage waited.

Pushing the door open she rushed to where they were standing, holding up the pouch happily for them to see.

"What's that?" Aedan managed to say as his gaze fell upon it.

"Remember the visit to the Ruined Temple? I took some of the ashes that day. Only I totally forgot I had them!" She wiggled the pouch in front of them excitedly.

"That is wonderful news!" Aedan exclaimed.

"Um, not to be a party damper, or anything, but does anyone here know how to administer them?" Anders asked, looking from one to the other.

"Well, _you're_ the mage!" Azure said impatiently. "You're _supposed _to know how to use things like these!"

"Yes, of course I do! They teach us how to use the ashes when we go to the School of Magical and Miraculous Ashes," he replied sarcastically, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his lip.

"There is more than enough in here to try everything out," Azure said.

"What do you mean? We were only allowed to take a pinch!" Aedan exclaimed. She blushed and turned her eyes away from him, her gaze falling on the fat pouch she held in her hand.

Aedan rolled his eyes. "I knew you were doing something up there! It took you long enough to get down from the top of the stairs! Just how much did you take?"

"Um...I _might_ have filled the whole pouch up with ashes," she replied smugly. "And don't you dare lecture me! I figured they might come in handy, in case the pinch we were taking to the arl was not used properly or something!"

"Maker's breath! A whole pouch! That's a lot of pinches!" Aedan said.

Anders burst out laughing.

"Well then, we'll try sprinkling them on him, diluting the ashes in water and making him drink the solution, rubbing a bit on his wound, which is, of course, now a scar. All of this might help." Anders chuckled. "But I have a very strong feeling that ingesting them would work better."

"Well, let's get on with it, then, shall we?" She grinned.

...

Anders forced the solution down Alistair's throat, and Azure sprinkled a pinch of the ashes right over his nose, without waiting for Anders to tell her to do it. She was so eager to have her husband back that she was grinning and hovering over him tirelessly.

After a while, Alistair's body went rigid, and he arched his back up. A nasty coughing fit ensued, and Anders started applying healing magic at once, while Azure backed away, her eyes full of fear.

"Why is this happening? Should this be happening?" She babbled, unable to control the emotions that swept through her.

Anders did not reply and Aedan glanced at him with a worried frown.

After a while, Alistair's body relaxed and they all gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh! I can't believe it! His breathing is normal! No wheezing! Nothing! Oh! Thank you so much Anders! Thank you! Thank you!" And she flung herself into his arms, kissing him on the cheek again and again.

So when Alistair Theirin finally woke up, the first thing he saw was his wife kissing some blonde stranger wearing a dress.

He lifted an eyebrow and cleared his throat.

"Having fun, my dear?" He croaked, his first words sending her into pure ecstasy as she gave a squeal of delight, throwing herself on him, which in turn sent his heart soaring.

"Oomph!" Alistair groaned, as he put his arms around her. "I can't breathe, dear..."

"Oh! Sorry, sorry, my love!" She said, as she moved to the side of the bed.

Aedan helped him sit up in bed, and handed him some water, while Azure just stared at him her eyes dreamy and shining.

Alistair drank the water greedily, quenching his thirst. When he was done, he turned to look at Azure, his eyes twinkling merrily.

"Now, can somebody tell me why it is that upon waking up, my wife is kissing a stranger in a dress excitedly?" He was obviously joking, because he knew she was doing it out of happiness to see him finally awake.

"Excuse me?" Anders sounded terribly offended. "I'll have you know that these are mage robes, Your Majesty!"

Alistair chuckled, pulling Azure as close as he could and kissing her soundly on the lips before he continued.

"Yes, so I figured," he then turned to Aedan. "My brother! It's been a long time since I last saw you."

"We came to see if we could help you. Much has happened, both here and in Amaranthine, my brother. It's a relief to see that you are finally awake."

"So, my first question is how long have I been like this?" Alistair asked.

"Over a year my darling," Azure said quietly.

"A year? Truly? Wow!" Then in a cheerful tone he added, "I'm sure that I have a lot of catching up to do, but at the moment I'm famished. Care to give this old king some food? And if it's cheese, then you'll make me the happiest man in Thedas."

They broke into laughs and giggles. Aedan went off to tell the guard at the door to order some food for the king and find Teagan along the way. The guard broke into a small smile, relief over his face. He had been guarding the Royal Couple for some time now, and practically worshipped them. To say that he was happy that his king was finally conscious was an understatement. He practically ran to the cook in the kitchen and then to Teagan who was in the study, waiting for Azure.

Teagan's jaw dropped when he heard the news, then broke into a brilliant smile. He rushed over to the Captain of the Guard, to deliver the message, running into Wynne along the way.

"Alistair is awake! The King lives!"

...

Anders scanned Alistair's body, his head bent as he focused intently. When he was done, he performed a second scan just to be sure. Wynne had already scanned him thoroughly and needed a second opinion. She was so overjoyed at seeing Alistair alive and well, that she could not keep herself from shedding tears of happiness.

"Yes, I agree with you completely Wynne," Anders said, smiling at the elder mage.

"What? What is it? Are you two going to give out my death sentence now? I feel really healthy and apart from a growing beard and long hair, I'm fine, really!" Alistair smiled.

"No, not at all," Anders said cheerfully. "We do have some news, but it isn't bad at all. Wynne, would you do the honors?"

"Well, Alistair, both his and my scan have revealed that not only you are completely cured but something else. The Taint in you has been reduced and contained." She said happily.

"What? How is this possible?" Alistair asked, his eyes wide open in disbelief.

"We used the Sacred Ashes to cure you and bring you back, my love," Azure said, her voice low with emotion.

"Yes, it seems that my little sister here might have, um, taken quite a bit of ashes for herself when we visited the urn during the Blight." Aedan shook his head, a smile on his face nevertheless.

"So, what does this mean? About the Taint I mean?"

"Well, probably that you are going to live a lot longer, and lead a very normal, healthy and happy life," Anders replied before Wynne could answer.

"I think we should speak to Genitivi also. He might have some ideas on the subject," Aedan remarked.

Alistair already was embracing Azure happily, he looked dazed by the news.

Azure laughed, Alistair's beard was tickling her. "You should get that shaved my love. I'll call servants in so they can fix that and your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair?" His eyes automatically reached for it, feigning surprise when he already knew that it was long. His face fell with mock depression. "Oh! I thought I felt strange..."

Azure's laughter bubbled up. "You've always been a terrible actor, my love," she teased.

Alistair pouted slightly and she kissed him on the lips quickly, trying to pull back, but Alistair would not have that. Tightening his grip, he kissed her back and his lips parted as their kiss deepened.

_Maker's breath, I've missed this!_

The rest were blushing and looking at everything in the room but the king and queen to give them some privacy.

After some time, Azure reluctantly pushed him away slowly.

"You have someone to meet, my love. He's been here every day, but he's always seen you sleeping. I told him you were asleep, you see..." she murmured, her eyes tender.

"I- I have a son, don't I?" He said, his voice thick and full of emotion.

She nodded and went to the next room, taking Bryce into her arms, and walked back into the room holding her son tenderly, her eyes on Alistair's as his whole face lit up. She carried him to the bed and sat down. The Royal couple looked lovingly at the chubby little boy who looked so much like his father.

Bryce's eyes fell on his father automatically. After gazing at him quite seriously, his little arms went up and his eyes twinkled.

"_Da_!" He gurgled happily and Alistair cried tears of joy as he held his boy gently.

...

The bells in the Chantry rang furiously, the people were beside themselves with happiness. Their king was awake and all was well in the kingdom.

Alistair had made a brief appearance on the balcony, still looking a bit pale and gaunt but smiling happily as he waved at the crowds below.

They all cheered at his appearance.

One of the people he had really looked forward to seeing was Zevran. Their meeting had been a very emotional one.

"My friend, I hope you will forgive me for not believing in you that night," Alistair said quietly as Zevran stood before him, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"There is nothing to forgive, Alistair. I was merely doing my job, and I truly understand why you chose not to listen to me. You always believe people are better than they actually are," Zevran said quietly.

"I know a certain ex-Crow whom I believe is the best and most loyal friend I've ever had, certainly," Alistair replied quickly.

Zevran's blank stare shone brightly for a few minutes as he fought back the tears. He could not say anything to his words, for the emotions that he felt were stopping him from uttering any words at the moment.

But Alistair crossed the distance between the two, and gave him a bear hug, which Zevran returned, his eyes brimming over with tears.

"I'm very happy you have returned to us, Alistair," he mumbled, pulling away finally. "And if you choose not to listen to me in the future, I'll kill you myself!"

"Is that a threat?" Alistair's eyebrow shot up and his eyes danced at the elf.

Zevran burst out laughing at this. He would hold his king and queen dear in his heart forever. He could never return to the Crows now.

He had forgotten how to be one.

**A/N: Epilogue up sometime tomorrow, or maybe before! :D**


	37. Epilogue

_**Just a few words to let you all know that I have an idea for another fanfic, but this one is totally Alistair, even written by him at times. It will be set POST-AWAKENING, and Alistair will be Warden Commander, and alone...soooo it will be very exciting and I'll try to make it as original as I can. I really want to tackle an Alistair-centric fic, and capture him totally and completely! HAHA! Hopefully will get started on that very soon, maybe before Christmas! **_

_**Also want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas! It's been a joy to write this fic, and I love you all! **_

_**Bioware owns! **_

Chapter 37 - Epilogue

_And as we lie beneath the stars  
We realize how small we are  
If they could love like you and me  
Imagine what the world could be _

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_  
_If everyone loved and nobody lied_  
_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_  
_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_Nickelback - If everyone cared_

.

.

Azure and Alistair strolled around the huge garden, holding hands and keeping a watchful eye on their three children, who laughed and played in the sun.

They finally sat on one of the many stone benches and gazed into each other's eyes lovingly.

Alistair's breath hitched as he looked at his beautiful wife. She was only 24, and had blossomed into a beautiful woman, all curves and muscles under her long flowing dress, as she continued to spar on a daily basis with her king.

His love for her tightened his chest, as he trailed his fingers over her sweet face, her freckles still winking up at him mischievously.

"Copper for your thoughts, my husband?" She smiled playfully as her lips inched forward, teasing his into a kiss.

He did not answer her, but kissed her passionately instead.

"Da!" The voice of their eldest broke the kiss, and they turned to regard him as he ran up to him. "You promised to play with us today!"

His eyes fell on Bryce as he tilted his head up to his father, amber eyes gazed into amber eyes, and Alistair felt for a moment that he was talking to a miniature version of himself.

"All right. But what about your other brother and sister? You have to understand that you all have to play the same game, and they look like they are interested in something else right now."

"Oh, Da! You don't believe that I could convince them to play with us? Just watch me!" The little boy laughed as he approached his smaller siblings. They heard how he started to babble at them, and both burst out laughing at the boy's endeavors. He had obviously inherited Alistair's lack of speech when he wanted to say something important to somebody.

"Um, I think you should try to teach him how to talk and make himself understood, Love," Alistair grinned as he watched his five-year-old daughter wrinkle her nose in disgust at her older brother's faltering speech. Their four-year-old son, Duncan, just stood and watched everything quietly, his green eyes switching to Bryce and then to Celeste in turn. Azure called him her little 'thinker'.

"I think you should just let him find out that he is endearing, whatever he says," Azure said happily.

He smiled down at her, and gave her a peck, standing up quickly to approach his children, a foolish grin plastered on his face.

"Papa!" Celeste ran to him, as did the other two, their eyes dancing at him.

"Now, then...have I ever told you how your Uncle Aedan killed the dragon at the end of the Blight?"

"Yes papa!" They all chorused, and Bryce rolled his eyes.

"I saw that!" Alistair admonished quickly, and Bryce turned to look at him innocently.

Alistair burst out laughing.

"What about the evil dragon, Papa?" Celeste urged him to continue.

"Well, I thought we might play that _I'm_ the evil dragon, and you should make believe that you are Uncle Aedan and his friends, trying to kill me!"

All of them clapped their hands, laughter bubbling from their sweet lips as they cheered, agreeing on his plan immediately.

And with that, Alistair bent down ominously and roared and they scrambled around, screaming with laughter.

Their laughter and screams floated up to the sky and Azure's eyes became dreamy as she looked upon them, the happiness in her heart filled to the brim.

Smiling sweetly, she silently thanked Andraste for the miracle of life and love she had bestowed upon them, and after getting up, decided to join in on the fun.

"Help! I'm the princess...trapped in a tower! Who will slay the wicked dragon and help me?" She cried out dramatically, clasping her hands to her heart. The children laughed at this, and clapped their hands.

Alistair stopped what he was doing and crossed the distance to where she stood, taking her into his arms.

"Why, my dear, I thought you'd never ask..." he mumbled and sealed her lips with a kiss.

THE END


End file.
